Danette Smith of St. John’s Ambulance and 11-year old Santo, her therapy dog. (Photo: Brock Ormond/Quinte News)
Therapy dogs can serve a great purpose in many places, and very soon at the Quinte Courthouse, they will have an important role to fulfill.
The Belleville Police Service and St. John’s Ambulance are teaming up to provide a pilot program to use therapy dogs in court trials to help relax people who may be nervous about being interviewed.
Therapy dog Charlie hams it up for the camera. (Photo: Brock Ormond/Quinte News)
Belleville Police Inspector Chris Barry says he and Joyce Fowler of St. John’s got together to come up with an idea and eventually decided to model the program after York Region’s therapy dogs program in the early stages.
Belleville Police Inspector Chris Barry and Joyce Fowler of St. John’s Ambulance came together for the idea of the therapy dogs pilot program. (Photo: Brock Ormond/Quinte News)
Barry, who is on the board for the Quinte Humane Society, explains the importance of this program to the community.
Danette Smith of St. John’s Ambulance, who owns Santo, agrees.
Barry says, if the program is successful, it will be expanded to add more dogs in more areas of the courthouse.
Charlie, Oscar and Santo all behaving for their handlers and Belleville Police. (Photo: Brock Ormond/Quinte News)
Belleville Police Inspector Sherri Meeks with Santo. (Photo: Brock Ormond/Quinte News)
