Court dogs soothe child victims
PAWS for People has partnered with Maryland courts to help children on the witness stand.
“I still haven’t been able to figure out how she knows what she knows,” Altemus says.
The master-certified courthouse canine is among a growing number of therapy dogs across the country brought in to comfort the young victims of physical or sexual assault during medical exams and lengthy interviews. More important, the dogs lay at the children’s feet when they have to climb on the witness stand to face their perpetrators in court.