Therapy dog comforts visitors of the Victim Center in Springfield, Mo.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -A furry friend is greeting clients at the victim center to help them feel a little better as they receive services.

Many people who have experienced some kind of trauma or tragedy walk in and out of the Victim Center doors every day. Now there is a dog that is ready to take on the task and help make the clients’ day a little brighter.

Megan is a 10-year-old lab boxer mix that loves to do tricks, eat treats, and love people. Lisa King rescued her from the Tri-Lakes Humane Society and began training her to be a therapy dog. Now she comes in twice a week to spend some time with visitors and staff of the Victim Center. Her job is simply to help alleviate stress and comfort those who need her.

“She provides comfort to anybody in crisis or anxious or scared. A therapy dog’s job is to take that stress away and absorb it,” said King. It’s a very hard job for a therapy dog to do.”

Unlike a service dog that is trained to care for one person, Megan is trained to care for all people. When a client of the Victim Center walks through the doors, they can be greeted by Megan and spend some time playing with and petting her.

Becoming a certified therapy pet takes years of training, and Megan is one of the top-ranked dogs in the Pet Partners Program. Lisa chose to have Megan work at the Victim Center after working as a court reporter for years and seeing how much of a difference animals like Megan can make.

Lisa and Megan are training a new apprentice that will take over when Megan retires. She is a nine-and-a-half-month-old black lab puppy named Annie and comes to the victim center once a week.

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