Autumn is the Children’s Advocacy Center’s facility dog. She is a Siberian Husky from Brevard county. She went through the Paws and Stripes program as a rescue in an intense twelve week course then trained alongside her handler, the CAC victim’s advocate Wanda Eckhoff. “The staff there train the dogs initially and then we met our dog and spent the week practicing skills such as trips to various public places, sitting through a lunch at a restaurant, a child interview etc. She is gentle and kind and loves to give kisses and snuggle”, says Wanda. Her favorite treat is ice cream and she also loves to “talk”. She loves kids because they are at her level. Research shows that facility dogs aid in obtaining child abuse disclosures in a forensic interview given they offer emotional support and reduce stress. Children who are victims of abuse and must tell their stories may find the process easier with a therapy dog. Providing comfort is at the heart of what therapy dogs do in a variety of places where they are called to action. Today they are a welcome part of the healing process.