Court Room Therapy
For a child to appear in court as others decide their future for them is intimidating and overwhelming. Our therapy dog program provides a trained canine to give Cole County’s foster youth a sense of calm and safety in the courtroom.. Olive, our lead therapy dog, is well-behaved, loving, and calm, encouraging a feeling of security for traumatized children in our community. Olive has provided hundreds of foster youth a friend in the courtroom.
Certified Therapy Dog
From hopeless and homeless, Olive was rescued from the streets in Los Angeles by Brandon McMillan, host and animal trainer of the Emmy Award winning CBS show, Lucky Dog, Season 4 Episode 6. Lisa Groves Bax, a child advocate volunteer for abused/neglected children in the judicial system in Missouri, saw the need for a resource to assist the scores of children facing the daunting task of appearing or testifying in court. After extensive training with Brandon McMillan, Olive was united with her forever family in Missouri in 2016, and ready to live her purpose, certified therapy dog.
Since that time, there have been increasing requests for Olive’s presence not only in the courtroom in Cole County, but statewide in courtrooms, hospitals, child group homes, and other places assisting with child trauma and stress. Therapy Paws formed to build upon Olive’s impact and add more therapy dog/handler teams to bring comfort to children during challenging times.
To Learn More or Get Involved
Contact Lisa Groves Bax at Lisa@therapypaws.org