Waukesha victim assistance program hires dog to comfort crime victims

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The newest hire at the Waukesha District Attorney’s Office Victim Assistance Program is Pepper, a very good girl.

Pepper is a dog who will provide companionship and comfort to victims of crime. She’s a nationally certified, purebred Labrador retriever who knows more than 60 commands. A spokeswoman from the program said the dog is calm, gentle and loves attention, especially from children.

Pepper meets with victims during prosecutor interviews and trial preparation, and waits with witnesses before they testify. She has already accompanied child victims to court during their testimony. Her presence helps reduce victims’ anxiety and stress while they participate in the justice system.

The program made the announcement ahead of its celebration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which begins on April 18. Kappa Theta Rho, the criminal justice club at Waukesha County Technical College, will present a check to the program on Monday as part of the celebration.

The club heard about the effort to establish a facility dog program and held a fundraising campaign on Pepper’s behalf. The Waukesha Victim Assistance Facility Dog Program is completely funded by grants and donations.

Victim Assistance has been working to establish the program for several years. Staff partnered with Journey Together Service Dog, a nonprofit that provides highly trained service dogs to veterans, crime victims and agencies. Journey Together teaches inmates job skills in prison dog-training programs. Pepper was raised and trained by inmates at Oshkosh Correctional Institute and Journey Together volunteers.

Contributions to Pepper’s ongoing care may be made online here. Follow @WLJReporter