Dogs are being used in the US to help ease the stress for trauma victims testifying in court.

Picture: Courthouse Dogs Foundation

Referred to as "comfort dogs" the specially-trained canines work in Dependency Courts - these focus specifically on child abuse and child-related cases - all over America to calm young children (and parents) who are distressed.

Therapy dogs are not new, and their benefits, including decreasing anxiety levels and improving overall well-being, have long been documented and many courts are extending this to courthouses.

Picture: Courthouse Dogs Foundation

Sandy Moore, of the Office of Children and Families in Court said:

Comfort dogs aren’t just about being warm and fuzzy in the courtroom - they can actually have some tangible benefits to the children and to the families but really to the judge him or herself because the less anxious people are in the courtroom, the better information the judge is going to get.

Oliver J Lobaugh, Venango County Court judge, spoke of his experiences with comfort dogs in his courtroom:

Our experience has been that with contact with therapy dogs prior to court, sometimes during the hearing, we see…kids that are much more comfortable in the court room, much more communicative, and they help reduce the drama and stress.

Most of the organisations that offer these fluffy bundles of joy are on an NGO, volunteer- basis.

Court House Dogs are one of the leading organisations specialising in providing trained comfort dogs, and there are 87 dogs all over the US, and they've also opened offices in Canada and Chile.