JACKSON, Miss. – The Center for Violence Prevention’s newest staff member is furry and has four legs. Her name is Sophie; she’s a golden retriever and a service dog. She specializes in calming stressful situations.
“We hada little 8-year-old boy that had to go and be interviewed by a judge, and of course, nobody could be with him. It was just him and the judge. As he turned to go back, he turned to me and said ‘can Sophie go?” said Sandy Middleton, executive director for the Center of Violence Prevention. “She provided that emotional support that he needed to get though that stressful interview.
The Center for Violence Prevention focuses on the needs of domestic violence clients, serving several counties in central Mississippi.
Middleton says Sophie is has a long career ahead of her at the center, in dog years that is.
