Are you a people person who loves dogs and making a difference? Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is on the hunt for local volunteers to join a very special program that’s been supporting victims of crime through some of the most stressful days of their lives.

The Canine Court Companion Program, a partnership between Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and the NSW Government, Department of Communities and Justice (Victim Services), sees specially trained therapy dogs visit courthouses to be on hand for a pat or a cuddle. It’s a way to support victims of crime and help them feel more relaxed in a stressful environment.

“The program is just amazing,” local volunteer handler Pam Davis said. “What it does for… not only the users, but also the solicitors, lawyers, staff, anyone that walks into the court, it just makes the biggest difference ever!”

Pam and her retriever Bono have been part of the program at the Orange Courthouse since it began eight years ago. For 13 years prior, Pam had also been a trainer of therapy dogs working for Assistance Dogs Australia.

“Bono was raised in Kirkconnell Prison, and then came to live with me, and we did therapy work in the nursing homes, mental health, special ed, and this program came up, and we were invited into it,” Pam said.

“There's not a day that I don’t walk out and know Bono has made a difference, and I say Bono, because it's not about us, it's about the dogs.”

Indeed, Pam said it is usually the dogs who choose who to interact with when they walk around the courthouse.

“They might walk past someone, and then suddenly we'll pass them again, and they know who they think might need a pat,” she said.

“People pat them. People hug them. People sit on the ground and cry and hug them. And it's just, for that moment, a smile, that loss of nervousness of being absolutely terrified because I'm in a court environment. It just changes the whole atmosphere.”

Bono is a bit of a special case in the Canine Court Companion Program, being the only privately-owned dog involved.

When Kerry Stevenson volunteered four years ago, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT partnered her with one of its trained Labrador Retrievers, Lola.

“A lot of people tend to think that they have to supply the dog when, in fact, a dog that will be matched with you. You become the host for this dog to live with you, and I think that's a real bonus,” Kerry said. “They match you with a beautiful dog, with the right training behind it. It just brings so much love to my life.”

While volunteer handlers undergo training to be part of the program and are “buddied” with another dog team until they are comfortable, Kerry said it really is the dogs that do the work.

“What they do there, just watching them in action, some days you just stand back and go, ‘Wow, look at that! How’d that happen?'" she said. “Walking around the courthouse, there are incredible nervous energies in there, and you can actually feel it dissipate as you come through. It's a really great program and beneficial for all, not just for people who are appearing in court as witnesses, etcetera but, as Pam said, everyone that's involved from the sheriffs at the front door right through. I love it and I’d encourage anyone to do it.”

To be a volunteer, you should have good people skills, be available for 90 minutes one day a week on court days, and, of course, genuinely love dogs.

For more information or to apply to be a volunteer, please visit nsw.guidedogs.com.au/our-dogs/canine-court-companion