WILLIE
Hunt County Children's Advocacy Center
Breed: Mini Golden Doodle
Meet Willie
Willie serves at Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center in Greenville, Texas, where he helps create a calm, welcoming, and child-friendly environment for children, families, staff, and multidisciplinary team members. From the moment children and adult clients arrive for forensic interviews, advocacy services, therapy appointments, and prosecutor meetings, Willie helps ease fear and uncertainty with his gentle, friendly presence.
Willie accompanies his handler, Jessica Francis, during forensic interviews and prosecutor meetings, offering emotional support during difficult conversations and court preparation. He is described as gentle and intuitive, often recognizing when a child feels anxious or overwhelmed. Sometimes he quietly lays at a child’s feet or rests his head in their lap. Other times, children hug him, sit beside him, pet him as they process their emotions, or laugh as he shows off his tricks, including his much-loved gentle “high fives.”
Willie’s comfort also extends to staff and multidisciplinary team members, including law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, and medical and mental health professionals. In work where emotional stress and secondary trauma are common, Willie provides grounding, comfort, and a reminder that connection can be part of the healing process.
About Hunt County Children's Advocacy Center
Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center provides trauma-informed, child-centered support to children and families navigating abuse investigations and healing services. Through forensic interviews, advocacy services, therapy appointments, prosecutor meetings, court preparation, and multidisciplinary collaboration, the Center works to help children and families feel safe, supported, and heard.
Training and Background
Willie is a certified therapy dog through Love on a Leash. His certification process included extensive obedience work, socialization, and exposure to a wide variety of people, environments, sounds, and situations to prepare him for emotionally sensitive settings. He successfully passed a formal control evaluation that assessed his temperament, obedience, confidence, and ability to remain calm and under control in different situations.
Before becoming an official therapy dog team, Willie completed 10 supervised volunteer visits alongside an experienced therapy dog handler. He also continues to attend group training sessions at Sit Means Sit to maintain and strengthen his skills. Through his training and ongoing therapy work, Willie has learned to remain calm and focused in busy or unfamiliar environments while interacting appropriately with children and adults experiencing fear, grief, anxiety, or trauma.
Outside of the Children’s Advocacy Center, Willie also volunteers in the community, including visits to a mental health hospital for outpatient group therapy sessions, nursing homes, after-school programs, and community outreach events focused on therapy dog work and trauma-informed support.
A Moment That Says It All
One moment that captures Willie’s impact began when a young girl arrived at the Center visibly nervous. She sat quietly in the play area, looking down and not engaging with the toys around her. When an advocate recognized that Willie’s comfort might help, Willie and Jessica joined her in the room.
The child connected with Willie right away. She sat beside him, gently petting him, and began to focus on him instead of the fear she had been feeling. As she grew more comfortable, she started engaging with Jessica and other adults at the Center. When Willie showed her his tricks, she began to giggle so loudly that her laughter could be heard throughout the office. What began as an overwhelming experience became more manageable because Willie helped create a sense of safety, emotional regulation, and joy.
Willie has also provided meaningful support during court preparation. In one case, a young girl was preparing to testify and was experiencing significant fear and emotional distress around the process. When the District Attorney’s Office requested Willie’s presence at future meetings, his involvement helped the child feel more comfortable and willing to attend. With Willie there, she attended the remaining meetings and was able to move forward through the court process with support.
Willie’s impact is also felt within the team. After especially difficult cases, staff members may take a quiet moment on the floor with him before returning to serve the next child or family. These moments show how Willie helps bring calm, courage, and connection to children, families, and the professionals who support them.
On His Day Off
When Willie is off duty, he loves playing with his human siblings and his Shiba Inu sister, Akira. He is very treat driven and loves toys, pup cups, and attention from everyone he meets.
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