Brooklyn wren5/26/2023 It's kind of a given now that the dogs are in court." In dog years she's worked 49 years, which is a really long time. "We knew it would make it a difference having these dogs to support children during testimony so we worked with the provincial judges and the next thing we knew, Wren was on the stand," Alcock said. The case gave canines a new and respected role in the Edmonton courts, Alcock said. It was the first time a judge in Edmonton had granted an application for a support dog to sit inside a courtroom. In 2015, Wren made history as she sat alongside a teenager taking the stand to testify against her alleged abuser. "It definitely has an impact on them and that is why their working life is until they're ten, which is why Wren is retiring." We might not think it affects the dogs but it does," Alcock said in a interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM. "When they're sitting in interviews and in court, they're taking in all that emotion and they're sitting through all that with children. Her calm demeanour and sweet drooling muzzle have been an invaluable comfort to countless victims. She can snuggle right up on the couch with these children and they're petting her and cuddling with her." We might not think it affects the dogs but it does. "She is that additional layer of support that we, as humans, can't provide. "We support children who have experienced abuse, so they are coming in and telling their story," said Brooklyn Alcock, a director at the Zebra Centre. She will also accompany victims to the courthouse and sit beside them as they undergo forensic interviews with police. Her tail wagging, she gently greets children as they enter the facility. Wren is one of two highly-trained accredited support dogs at the centre. For seven years, Wren - a 10-year-old yellow Labrador - has been working at the Zebra Child Protection Centre, a facility that supports children who have suffered physical or sexual abuse as a case moves through the court system.
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