“Paws and Order: Special Dog Unit” Brings Calming Influence to the Courtroom
Feb 23rd, 2010 | By natalie | Category: Articles, Lead Articles
Testifying in court, in any type of case, can be intimidating, daunting, and downright scary. A USA TODAY article by Kathleen Gray reports that courtrooms across the country are now employing dogs in the courtroom to calm witnesses as they testify. Dogs are trained to be completely still during testimony, to keep them from distracting the witness. Children have been calmed and provided with comfort while testifying in cases after witnessing violent crimes. CourthouseDogs.com trains and provides dogs for this service, however they caution the use of dogs during the interview process of child victims. Courthousedogs.com warns against the use of pet therapy dogs during the investigative process, such as forensic interviews, citing concerns that doing so will create issues at trial. Providing dogs during the interview process is something the American Humane Society does through its TASK program.