Special talent with traumatized Children...

This morning I could ramble on about Syria and the fact the Lebanese are finally standing in support of their Syrian brothers, and not the government that is murdering them, or I could talk about Libya and the fact Gadafy is still crazier then ever,  or about Yemen where things are getting ugly, heck I could even ramble on about the 3rd day of riots in London, which won't go away - because they are part of that same malaise the youth is feeling everywhere, but it's all too depressing!

Instead I'm going to write about Rosie, a golden retriever named after Rosa Parks. Her gift in life has been to help out children who have gone through traumatic events.  She's great to have in a room where a child is telling about abuse they have been through. Recently she made headlines in New York because she was allowed in court to 'hold the hand" of a young woman testifying against her dad, who had raped her.

Dogs and pets in general are great companions. They are great when you are upset and can't talk to another human. My cats will know when I'm really upset and they will all take turns making sure I'm ok. They will listen to anything I can ramble on about and offer cuteness :)

Some are arguing that Rosie adds an element of cuteness into the courtroom. That she might be encouraging people to believe whatever the witness with the dog is saying as the truth. Personally I'm thinking the dog is helping a child who otherwise might be too traumatized to give a full account of what happened. The dog sure is not testifying. The dog just seems to help children to keep talking. 

Here's hoping Rosie continues to help out children in any capacity she can. Children who have gone through something traumatic can definitely use the company of a friendly dog who seems to know when to prod the child with her nose to encourage them.