Lol the Labrador, pioneer of legal aid dogs in France?

• On the initiative of Frédéric Almendros, public prosecutor of Cahors, Lol became in March 2019 the first legal aid dog in Europe.
• This almost four-year-old Labrador intervened in 30 cases to help victims, aged 3 to 90, to manage their emotions.
• Today, the magistrate notes the success of this experiment, inspired by an American initiative. Supported by the MP for Lot Huguette Tiegna, he hopes to see it develop throughout France.

When he is not yet four years old, Lol is already a "professional" in justice. It is Frédéric Almendros who affirms it. Since March 2019, the Cahors public prosecutor has used the services of this black-haired labrador and calm Olympian, real emotion sponge, to help victims aged 3 to 90 years 30 times.

His function ? Legal aid dog, modeled on the American "courthouse facility dogs". It is also in the United States that the magistrate from Lotois drew his inspiration to import this canine mediation in France. "The goal is to involve the dog in all phases of the criminal trial, from the initial hearing to the judgment, to provide relief to the victims," ​​he says. It is a first in Europe. "

@APSOMMER in the United States with the psychological support dogs of https://t.co/ylq1oYIhmU who have been accompanying abused children for 10 years. Ace, Elvis and marshall are the American cousins ​​of our national Lol. Thank you to them for sharing their experiences. 👍 pic.twitter.com/B7CdbYmsL7

In view of the success of the experiment with all the parties concerned, Frédéric Almendros gave a report last week to Nicole Belloubet, the Keeper of the Seals, hoping to see the practice develop elsewhere in France. “Lol is an animal that interacts without acting. He knows how to step back when necessary, get close to people when things are not going well. "

"Lol responds to 53 orders"

Initially, the Labrador was primarily to intervene in matters of a sexual nature. Its efficiency has enabled it to broaden its register to “attacks on persons” in general, from robbery with violence to homicides, and its territory to assize and criminal courts. "Lol responds to 53 orders and he never takes a word for another," explains the prosecutor of the Cadurcian Republic. For example, when we say "cool", he lies down with his whole mass against the victim and does not move until we ask him. And sometimes he anticipates… ”

Official delivery of Lol, first #dog of #judicial assistance in #France to #cahors in the presence of Marie-Claude Lebret our founder, and Robert Kohler, president #handichiens pic.twitter.com/RZGcBq6d2r

Without taking anything away from the young labrador's predispositions, his skills owe much to his long training, through the Handi'Chiens association, with funding from the Sommer foundation, which works in favor of animal mediation. "It takes 11 to 18 months to train a dog, it costs between 17,000 and 20,000 euros," says Frédéric Almendros. In a litter, he must neither be the leader, nor be too timid, to be able to keep his cool in all circumstances, like a guard at Buckingham Palace…

Once labeled Assistance Dogs International (ADI), Lol was entrusted to Sdis de Cahors. No less than seven referent firefighters have been trained to support him as soon as investigators require his services, in liaison with the Lot branch of the France Victimes federation.

Separation phase planned after trial

From the first meeting with the dog, until the inevitably heartbreaking post-trial goodbye, everything is planned. "There is always a phase of separation when it is a child, so that the latter can walk around, make him play," resumed the magistrate. We also give him a little soft toy. "Thus the criminal trial, traumatizing in view of the cases concerned," goes as smoothly as possible ".

STRENGTHEN the accompaniment of victims
by legal aid dogs from the court,

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➡️FRANCE VICTIMES https://t.co/5lUC6jmeKy

Supported by the member for Lot Huguette Tiegna (LREM), who has tabled a bill to this effect, Frédéric Almendros hopes to see the legal aid dog appear in French law. “More and more, lawyers are asking me for Lol to intervene. And other jurisdictions are interested. "

Also requested by French and Belgian academics, the Cahors prosecutor imagines “within three to five years five or six dogs based for example in Brest, in the Paris region, in Strasbourg, in Lyon, in Marseille and in the center of the country " “They would be hosted by institutional partners and could reach out to a region or the territory of a court of appeal. "

The ideal dog for allergy sufferers

In the United States, 250 “courthouse facility dogs” operate in 35 states. Always labradors, or goldens retrievers, their hairy "cousins". Inevitably, the docile side, the size and the popularity of these species play in their favor, compared to dachshunds or Argentine mastiffs. But labradors have another hidden asset: "they are among the dogs that develop the least allergenic protein for humans," reveals Frédéric Almendros. If there is an ideal canine, it probably looks like Lol and his future colleagues.

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• Society
• Victim
• Dog
• Cahors
• Justice