After almost five years as a member of the Delta Police Victim Services team in British Columbia (B.C.) and helping more than 750 clients get through traumatic events, Caber the trauma dog has also taken on the new role of courthouse dog at the Surrey Provincial Court.
It started about two years ago as a pilot project with the Surrey Crown counsel, where Caber would bring his stable, calm energy to support clients during pre-trial interviews in the Crown counsel office at the courthouse.
"They're revisiting their victimization and talking about what happened to them, which can be very traumatic," says Caber's handler Kim Gramlich, co-ordinator of Delta Police Victim Services. "We have Caber present and we see the same outcomes — he calms people down."
With his first trial last May, Caber can now assist vulnerable witnesses and victims, especially children, in the courtroom when they're giving testimony.
Caber underwent two years of training through Pacific Assistance Dogs Society to become the first fully certified trauma canine in Canada to do this type of work in victim services. And he is one of only a handful of dogs in Canada and the only one in B.C. that can assist in the courtroom.
"The intention behind it is the same," says Gramlich. "It's to calm victims and witnesses of crime down, lower their blood pressure, lower their heart rate and make them more comfortable so they can effectively communicate their testimony."