She is not only one of the nicest new employees at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, but it is also part of her job to be kind to people in need.
And it turns out that she knows better than most how much a kind act can change things.
This week, the sheriff’s new therapy dog, a 5-year-old puppy that looks like a mix between a beagle and a corgi, was introduced. Lily now works with her handler from the Department of Children and Families in this role. Together, they help victims, especially children, feel at ease so they can talk to investigators more easily.
And it’s clear she’s good at what she does.
“We’ve seen an enormous difference since we began using Lily to help us with our more sensitive investigations,” Sheriff Billy Woods said. “We’ve had children who have experienced horrific crimes open up to us because Lily made them feel comfortable. When Lily walks into a room, she brings a sense of joy and comfort with her, and we know she will make a tremendous difference in the lives of our crime victims in Marion County.”
Lily has already shown that she is an important part of the team, but there was a time when she didn’t know what would happen to her.
As a shelter dog, Lily was in danger of being killed before she got her new job. She got lucky when she was saved to go to Paws & Stripes College, an eight-week program that takes dogs from shelters and trains them for different service jobs. The people who run this program say that more than 300 dogs have graduated and been saved because of it.
We’re sure Lily and the people she helps every day are glad she got this chance.
Source: The Dodo
