The University of Toledo recently received a research grant from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Pet Partners for a new study, “Implementation of Canine-Assisted Forensic interviews with Children.” The study will measure whether a therapy dog can influence the quantity and quality of children's event reports.
"From countless anecdotal evidence, we know that a visit from a registered Pet Partners therapy dog can put a smile on a child's face, no matter what they are going through. Scientific research to validate the efficacy of therapy dogs in forensic interviewing has the potential to not only provide more children with much needed comfort and emotional support, but to also promote justice for such a vulnerable population," said Annie Peters, President and CEO of Pet Partners.
Over the past decade, select medical professionals have used dogs in their practices, as the animals are naturally comforting creatures that project calmness, particularly on children. Even though the use of therapy dogs has increased, until now, nobody has ever studied the effects of human-animal interaction during a forensic interview.
"This study will build upon current knowledge of the benefits of therapy dogs while looking at a unique setting, forensic interviewing, which has not yet been studied," said HABRI Executive Director Steven Feldman. "HABRI is grateful for the support of Pet Partners for this project, which has great potential to make a difference for children who have experienced maltreatment or abuse."
This study will examine 120 children between the ages of 6 and 9. Each child will experience a staged, interactive event and then undergo a forensic interview a week later where the researchers will randomly vary each child's interaction with a therapy dog. The interviews will be video-recorded, and investigators will analyze the child's behavior during the interview, their interaction with the therapy dog, and how long they spend petting the dog.
Researchers anticipate children who spend longer periods of time with a therapy dog will have better and more frequent event reports.