HARTFORD -- State lawmakers highlighted the importance of therapy animals for children testifying in court Wednesday.
It was all part of "Animal Therapy Day" which lawmakers are pushing for legislation that allows the use of therapy animals to comfort children when they have to take part in certain criminal cases.
"Very very few animal cruelty cases proceed to a sentence, so by giving the courts an extra resource in the form of a volunteer advocate, we're able to give the courts the ability to better investigate, reason and deliberate on cruelty cases," said Jessica Rubin, a law professor who helped draft Desmond's Law.
15 therapy dogs and their handler teams were on hand Wednesday to learn about the important role therapy animals play during times of trauma and crisis.