Breed: Yellow Labrador Retriever
Kammy is the Berks County courthouse’s first dedicated Facility Dog to provide emotional support for people dealing with traumatic experiences. She supports survivors in both the Victim/Witness Unit and Children’s Alliance Center. She offers a friendly, silly face that helps reduce anxiety and fear by providing distraction, a playmate, or emotional support.
Kammy is usually in the waiting rooms with children and their families while they get ready for a forensic interview or court proceeding. She loves kids and often gets very wiggly—a quick mood booster! The younger the child, the more wiggly she becomes.
The Victim/Witness Assistance Unit was established to assist victims and witnesses of crime and their immediate family members throughout the judicial justice process.
We provide services such as case information and notification, accompaniment to all Court proceedings, assistance with written and oral victim impact statements, and much more in both Juvenile and Adult Court. The Children’s Alliance Center serves child victims of sexual abuse under the age of 18.
We enable law enforcement, prosecutors, child protective services, victim advocacy agencies and the medical and mental health professions to work together as a collaborative team to investigate and prosecute cases. Children are interviewed once, and various agencies observe the interview simultaneously to reduce the number of interviews and the amount of emotional stress. This model provides for more successful prosecutions while providing a child-friendly environment.
Kammy went through extensive training over the course of two years with an organization called Paws and Affection, while living with a foster family. Her training focused on getting her comfortable with new people and new environments.
We had a child client who was struggling with suicidal ideation. Our Victim Advocate spoke with her and advised her that we had to share those details with her parent. The child asked if she, the Advocate, and Kammy could take a walk first to help calm her down. Once she was ready to talk to her parent, Kammy laid right by her side, supporting her through the difficult situation.
Kammy is happiest when she is by her handler’s side. She loves to go on long walks and explore new places
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