There is a new trend in law enforcement: cuddling. Not with the authorities, but with therapy dogs who assist victims of crime who are having a hard time dealing with their experience. These dogs are trained to help calm people who are stressed so that they can help investigators or prosecutors find and hold accountable the criminals who have frightened the injured party.

Assistance dogs are generally used to actively engage people by helping with tasks and day-to-day responsibilities. These companions, however, need to do the opposite. Providing distraction to a scared individual while remaining unobtrusive during an investigation can only be done by pups who have been specially trained from a very young age. . Dogs used during trials are called courthouse dogs, as opposed to therapy dogs, so that the jury doesn’t get the impression that there is something “wrong” with the person who is testifying, and that they need therapy. Here is a great website called Courthouse Dogs that explains them in more detail.

When young children need to be interviewed by officials, they or their guardians may be nervous and stressed. Having a dog in the interview room can make them less anxious about the questions they are asked by allowing them physical contact with the dog. Before the child is expected to answer, they get acquainted with the dog by watching him do tricks and learning to give him commands. This puts someone who is apprehensive at ease and allows them to open up about a subject that may be scary or painful to recall.

Sixteen states currently use dogs to aid victims in various ways. People who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, children, and people with developmental delays who need to be questioned or give testimony have all been helped. Their responsibilities run the gamut from giving therapy to traumatized witnesses to sitting on the witness stand in court. But not everyone thinks this is a good thing.

Defense attorneys have appealed several cases where a dog assisted a witness in court. They argue that juries will be sympathetic toward someone who needs comfort from a cute, cuddly puppy dog during testimony. Courthouse dogs are trained to sense stress in people and respond with a gentle nudge, but some claim that the stress could be from lying rather than from reliving a traumatic experience. Most of these cases that have been appealed are still pending, but it will be interesting to see how the cases end up.

Dogs have always been a comfort to people, and it’s good to know that they can help the most vulnerable. What do you think of using dogs as investigative assistants?

Courthouse Dog in action - image via Courthouse Dogs.

Since many pets at one time or another may require some type of surgery, owners wonder what happens after they’ve dropped off their loved one for their procedure. I’d like to give you a little insight into how we care for your pet before, during, and after sedation for an operation. We’ll use the name Maggie to refer to our patient here.

Before Maggie is sedated, her veterinarian needs to make sure there are no underlying diseases that may put her at higher risk for complications from the anesthesia. Bloodwork is done on Maggie, often on-site, to check kidney levels, liver function, red and white blood cell counts, and several other factors. If there are problems with her lab work, her vet will call you to explain the problem and what we can do to move forward.

If Maggie’s blood levels are all within normal limits, one of our technicians will shave a bit of fur on one of her front legs to improve vein visibility and avoid pulling her hair out later with the tape, and an I.V. catheter is placed. The surgeon will calculate the dosage for Maggie’s antibiotic and pain medication and she is given the injection.

After listening closely to Maggie’s heart and lungs, her surgeon will slowly give the anesthetic via her I.V. until she is sedated. Then she will be intubated and placed on monitors to keep track of her blood pressure, EKG, pulse rates, oxygen and the amount of carbon dioxide expelled to watch for any problems. She will receive intravenous fluids during surgery to keep her stable and hydrated. She is also wrapped in a patient warmer which stabilizes her body temperature throughout the procedure.

Once her surgeon has finished and stitched up Maggie’s incision, she is placed on a heating pad and watched closely as she wakes up. The surgeon will call to inform Maggie’s owners how the surgery went and that she is recovering. If necessary, she is kept overnight and monitored by our technician, and she may receive more I.V. fluids to ensure that she has recovered completely before being sent home to you. Her I.V. catheter should be removed before her departure and replaced with a pressure wrap to avoid blood seeping from the catheter site. This wrap can be removed after an hour at home.

Every operation is different, but these are some of the things that we do to ensure that each surgery is successful. We work hard and strive to meet the highest standards of care for your furry family member, so that she can be back to herself as quickly as possible.