Giving child victims a helping paw
The CKC Foundation’s
Pawsitivity Grants are awarded with the primary objective of enhancing the health and welfare of dogs in Canada by supporting education on the diverse and beneficial role of dogs in society.
One of the activities envisioned for grant support is service-dog training. The London Family Court's
Child Witness Project (CWP) in London, Ontario, is designed to support young victims and witnesses of crime, and
help prepare them to testify. CWP was recently awarded $2,900 through the CKC Foundation to assist with the costs associated with acquiring a trained service dog to help children through the difficult legal process.
Specially trained dogs have proven to be instrumental in alleviating a child’s fears in the courtroom by having a ‘friend’ at their side. Dogs have also been shown to assist in facilitating the collection of evidence. A young child is often more comfortable sharing their stories with strangers – police, lawyers and therapists – if they can interact with a dog and talk to the animal directly.
The Child Witness Project plans to have its first service dog trained and working in 2016.
To find out how you can support the CKCF’s goals with a donation, and receive a tax-deductible receipt, please contact
click here or
info@ckcf.ca.