New Counselor at DA's Office is Friendly, Furry, Wags Tail a Lot
When children who have been sex crime victims come to the Yolo County, Calif., district attorney’s office, they are often frightened and hesitant to trust adults.
So the office chose someone they thought would especially appeal to children when selecting the newest addition to its staff of child abuse counselors—a calm, friendly 2-year-old dog named Daisy. “The goal is to have Daisy greet children and their families when they enter the interview center, sit with the child during the interview, and even accompany the child when he or she testifies in court,” explains a local ABC News affiliate on the station’s website.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig was reportedly reading a report about the benefits that such service dogs could offer in a setting like his office when Daisy’s owner, Lori Raineri, called him out of the blue one day to offer the canine’s services. He says that he has spoken to several judges about the plan to use Daisy in a counseling role, and none objects.
“Sometimes these kids have been victimized by humans,” says Cameron Handley, who runs the Yolo County Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center and will be working closely with Daisy. “They just don’t trust humans anymore. They can trust a dog.”
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
