Police Dog soothes 10 yr old in court during sexual assault

[Raggedyann]

VANCOUVER - A police dog has helped a 10-year-old girl endure the pain of testifying about an alleged sexual assault, and in doing so has become the first canine to assist a child during a trial in British Columbia.

Caber, a yellow Labrador retriever, rested peacefully in a bed and at the girl's feet, as she spoke in the witness box, while shielded by a screen in Surrey provincial court Tuesday.

The dog soothed the girl so she could provide a full and candid account of the horrific incident that allegedly victimized her the previous year, said Crown lawyer Winston Sayson.

"When the child was testifying, she would reach down to just pet or rub the dog. When she broke down during the testimony, we had to stand down," said Sayson.

"She basically lay down beside the dog. They laid down together and it really helped her calm down and she was able to return to court and complete her testimony."

Crown and a victims' support worker said the successful integration of a dog in the courtroom should be viewed as baby steps towards expanded use of canines at trial.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/05/29 ... 66708.html