Support dogs permanently enter Sydney court rooms

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Support dogs are being introduced permanently to court rooms in Sydney and Newcastle. It comes after a successful trial aimed at easing the anxiety of litigants.

Transcript

00:00These puppies will be a common sight in the courthouse, but they're not in trouble.

00:08They're being trained as therapy dogs to help people deal with the stress of being here.

00:13The dog's presence actually calms people down and we find that they are able to recall matters

00:18and actually be able to deal with evidence and questions much clearer and much quicker.

00:23The puppies will be based at the family court in Parramatta, Sydney and Newcastle.

00:28Chief Justice William Ostergren deals with domestic violence matters every day and has

00:33seen the impact the dogs have had elsewhere.

00:35It is had a really, really profound change, it's easily one of the most successful innovations

00:41we've done.

00:42It's been a rewarding experience for the trainers.

00:45They're so dedicated to the program because they can see the difference it makes to court

00:49users and court staff and through the medium of their therapy dog, they get to make people

00:55happy.

00:56The program was initially launched in Hobart and Melbourne last year to help victims, litigants

01:01and children.

01:02There are now hopes it will be expanded further in New South Wales.

01:06We'd love to see this expand and we see the benefits of our dogs every day so it's great

01:12to see that we're getting more opportunities.

01:15These puppies will now undergo 18 months of training before being introduced to the courts.

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