‘Coco’ the therapy dog joins Voices of Courage to support child abuse victims in Northwest Missouri
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- A leading profit is welcoming man's best friend to help support and provide comfort for victims of child abuse and the many professionals fighting on their behalf in Northwest Missouri.
With the simple command of "visit," Coco, a lovable and energetic two-year-old yellow lab and new assistance dog with Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center, will lay her head on a child's lap in times of stress, one of many trained commands well known by Coco as she brings a newfound layer of support for the longtime nonprofit based in St. Joseph.
“When kids come here, it can be scary. And probably a really hard day for them. To be able to see her. It's just awesome for them," said Carrie Watkins, a part-time forensic interviewer with VOC and handler for Coco. "She just loves everybody. No need to get to know each other. She's a built-in best friend."
Since joining the team in September, Coco has played an invaluable role supporting children ages 3 to 18, as well as staff, first responders and support professionals across a nine-county area, including Andrew, Buchanan, Atchison, Holt, Clinton and Nodaway counties.
Founded in 1993 as the first child advocacy center in Missouri, Voices of Courage helps investigate, treat and prevent child abuse by pulling together law enforcement, child protective services and medical and mental health workers into one multi-disciplinary team.
In the month of August alone, nearly 50 children were interviewed by VOC about allegations of abuse, including 97 therapy sessions.
“She goes to all my meetings with me now. She does interviews with me. We do a couple interviews a week, including one today,” Watkins said. "She has a really hard job and she is really good at it. She's so sweet. She loves to sit by the kids."
Coco was born in St. Louis at a non-profit organization called CHAMPS Assistance Dogs, which helps train dogs into skilled support specialists to improve the lives of people across a variety of different settings, from hospitals and rehabilitation centers to nursing homes and courthouses, among others.
Coco comes from a litter of eight talented puppies, including two parents who were both CHAMPS working dogs. One of her siblings is a facility dog at another child advocacy center in Wentzville, Missouri, while her brother Petey is the first-ever team dog for the St. Louis CITY soccer club.
"Coco was born and placed with Whelper Helpers. Puppy care basically. She stayed with a variety of different people so she's used to different environments. She went and did a little bit of work at the prison that they used for rehabilitation," Watkins said. "We thought bringing a facility dog was a “big center” thing to do. It's something really neat that we can offer that’s not offered in our area."
CHAMPS was able to provide Coco despite VOC falling outside of their normal coverage area. The CHAMPS training process normally takes several years to complete once a request is made by an organization or agency.
Thus far, Coco has helped sit in on more than a dozen interviews, including cheering up kids in the waiting room, relieving stress for countless families and aiding critical discussions.
The comfort Coco provides also extends to detectives, FBI agents, juvenile officers and many others working through difficult investigations in Northwest Missouri.
"The number one thing that drew us to it is just the comfort that she's able to provide just by being there. She doesn't have to do anything. She'll just lay there and she just is comforting," Watkins said. “Our multi-disciplinary team. the juvenile office, children's division, our medical, the prosecutor's office. She's met with all nine counties.”
Watkins said the focus now is continued training with the young Coco so she can sit through longer interviews more consistently. Coco knows a wide variety of commands, including sit, release, jumping on the couch and more.
“She still has some fine tuning. But she's making a huge impact with kids and is going to grow to make an even bigger impact," Watkins said. "We're learning and growing."
Residents can help support Coco's diet and dental hygiene by donating to Voices of Courage at voicescac.org/help-support-coco/. Coco has a physical condition that requires specific food, treats and supplements.
