Little girl testifies against her abuser. When he walks in, she gives her deaf dog a signal

When children are asked to stand trial in a court of law, the experience can be very traumatic for them. The K9 Circuit Program has been developed to provide support to these little ones and the dogs that they employ are some of the most incredible animals on the planet.

It does not matter how old you may be or whether you are even in trouble, as a courtroom can be a frightening place regardless of your age. In many instances, a child is asked to speak out against someone who has already wronged them, which is an obviously challenging task for anyone, no matter how old they may be.

Let’s say that a child needs to testify against their offender. In some cases, they may even want to back away from their initial story to avoid the embarrassment or fear that they are feeling. Joanne Rittenhouse knows this feeling all too well and works as a therapy dog handler to help these children.

These dogs allow children to feel the necessary comfort and security during these trying situations. There is one dog who goes by the name of Karl who is truly special, however, as he was born deaf and was able to learn American sign language over the course of his life.

Karl is one of the best companions that a child could ever have an we are blessed to have had the chance to get to know him. We are so happy to see that someone has taken the time to consider the needs of these children and we hope that Karl is given the chance to help as many of them as possible.

If Karl’s story touched your hearts as much as ours, be sure to check out this amazing video and pass it along to all of your friends and family members on Facebook.



130 thoughts on “Little girl testifies against her abuser. When he walks in, she gives her deaf dog a signal

  1. This absolutely made my day, gave me chills, and left me in tears. My daughter has had to face her abuser in court many times, oh how I wish Karl could have been there for her!! She did however have a best friend at home who supported her through some of her darkest hours, her sweet boxer dog, Jasper. So thankful for the blessings that animals bring into our lives. ❤️

  2. I love courtroom dogs! I had to arrange many comfort items to my child victim clients when they were asked to testify, but usually they were stuffies and blankets. It would have been nice to have a courtroom pup!

  3. It should be of they’re standing trial. They need too appreciate the grass very of the situation and should they be acquitted, they will learn to understand the sanctity of the judicial process.

  4. This is beautiful. My Bindi was a King Shepherd who was so in tune with children that if someone made a child nervous, she would pick up on who it was and place herself between that person and the child. Then she would have an unnerving stare towards that person. Funny how she never misjudged anyone.

Add Comment