POUGHKEEPSIE – The Dutchess County Legislature likely will approve $10,000 for the district attorney’s office to purchase a well-trained therapy dog. The dog would be used to calm persons who have been traumatized and might not otherwise be able or willing to talk about it.
District Attorney William Grady secured the approval of the funds from the legislature’s Public Service Committee last Thursday.
“The dog provides comfort and relaxation to the victims so that they can more easily cope with that type of experience,” Grady said. “We will develop a working arrangement and work out a memorandum of understanding with Family Services because they too, through their crime victims program and their domestic violence program contact victims on a daily basis who are also traumatized and could very much benefit from the services of a dog like this.”
Back in 2011, a therapy dog named “Rose” was allowed to sit with a 15-year-old rape victim in Dutchess County Court as she testified about her attacker.
