On Wednesday, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced the ex-USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to up to 175 years in prison. The sentence came after more than 150 women read victims statements at his trial talking about the years of abuse they suffered at the doctor's hands.
For seven days, the victims turned survivors, read their statements into the record, reliving their horrible experiences. To help them, the Small Talk Children's Assessment Center brought a trained therapy dog to assist the survivors during their difficult week in court.
Say hello to Preston, a black Labrador retriever who was been stationed outside the courtroom all week while more than 150 victims read their testimony to the court.
As trained therapy dog, Preston's day job is to interact with children and youth who are survivors of physical and sexual abuse during counseling sessions. Preston also performs his duties in court, helping support kids while they testify.
According to ABC News, the 2-year-old black Lab began his career as a therapy dog in September of 2016 at the Small Talk Children's Assessment Center in Lansing, Michigan.
The organization, which is an advocacy center where children go to be interviewed about their abuse, says they've seen more people return for additional counseling sessions since they began using Preston to interact with abuse victims.