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Courtroom Therapy Dog Helps Abused, Neglected Kids - Eric Alvarez

1,786 views · Published 20 February 2013 · 1:45 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: FOX NASHVILLE · 2013 · News & Politics

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Abused and neglected children are getting much-needed support from a unique and very unexpected friend, a compassionate pup that's helping those kids through the most difficult time in their young lives.     Every Tuesday the Williamson county juvenile court hears DCS cases.These are the cases where children are often removed from their homes and placed into foster care and so coming to court for them is very traumatic,€ said Sharon Guffey, Juvenile Court Judge.That€™s why Guffee asked Williamson County Animal Control to bring in Samson a 1-year-old Great Pyrenees to help comfort the children.  Guffee said even a simple gesture like lying down at a child's feet can have a positive impact on a kid's self-esteem.There must be something innate in animals that knows you know how to do that, especially with children,€ Guffee said.Guffee said the kids absolutely love Samson.  But his owner, Judy Lindberg said the kids help him as much as he helps them.€œHe came into [animal control] as a stray,€ Lindberg said.  €œHe was held in impound for several weeks.Lindberg is also a volunteer at animal control.  She says no one ever claimed him, and maybe that's why Samson is so good at understanding lost children.Maybe they start out as unwanted or that they don€™t have the most caring owners or parents,€ Lindberg said.But Samson wasn't unwanted for long and was adopted by Lindberg, who says if he could speak, Samson would probably tell the kids in the courtroom one thing.€œIf you keep an open heart then there's somebody out there that will find you and love you,€ Lindberg said.Gufee said she would like to have a resident dog that would be a part of her court every single week.

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