Therapy Dogs/K9 Advocates

We have been using dogs in our Center since 2003 and have one of the largest service agency therapy dog programs in the nation. Our dogs are the “CAC Rock Stars”. Often children struggle emotionally when sharing their experiences with interviewers, but we have seen them sit on the floor with the dog and easily tell their stories. Animals are incredibly therapeutic and provide an amazing sense of comfort for the children and families we serve. Our dogs come in every size and breed you can imagine and have a special hallway in the Center dedicated to them. The hallway our children walk down to their forensic interview has pictures and paw prints of our dogs. We also have the kids who have graduated from services place their handprints on this special wall. Many want their handprint to be near their favorite dog. One of our K-9 Advocates is a rescued Yellow Lab named Jake. Jake shares a similar story to our kids. He has a story wall with his own artwork that the kids love. We were one of the first Centers in the nation to have all of our judges unanimously agree that our dogs could accompany child victims to all court proceedings.