French court dog helps soothe anxious victims of crime. Lol, with Prosecutor Frédéric Almendros, is Europe’s first official support dog for victims. The Labrador has been trained to remain calm with strangers, including young children. He can handle tense, vocal and emotional situations such as cross-examinations, where a tearful rape victim comes face to face with their attacker.
“After examining a case I call for the dog’s help if I believe its comforting presence will help victims open up about what happened, or even when they have to testify in court,” says Mr Almendros. “The dog sitting next to them in court has often helped victims handle the stress of a trial.” So far Lol has appeared in 80 different criminal investigations with victims ranging from three to 90 years old. Bringing ‘humanity’ to the legal system Unlike courts in the big French cities where drugs-related offences are common, in the rural department of Lot it is sex abuse and domestic violence that make up the majority of criminal cases. Initially Mustapha Yassfy, a family lawyer and head of the local Bar association, had to persuade his reluctant colleagues to get involved in the trial project. But now lawyers call for Lol’s intervention when they think it can help move a case forward. In fact, 20 French court jurisdictions are expected to have dogs by the end of next year. Golden retrievers have proven as useful as Labradors.
