CAC welcomes Dora, Therapy-Dog-in-Training

Thanks to a new community partner, SOUL Harbour Ranch, Children’s Advocacy Center has their first four-legged employee. Dora, an English Labrador retriever puppy, is now the therapy-dog-in-training with Yesenia Hernandez, a CAC Bilingual Trauma Therapist.

“I have always believed in the connection between humans and animals, especially dogs,” Hernandez said. “I believe that dogs are intuitive and have the ability to bring comfort, joy and calm, and I have had a long-term dream/vision of being able to have a therapy dog facilitate these experiences with individuals in therapy. When this opportunity came up to serve as Dora’s handler and have her be a part of my family, it felt like my vision was coming to life.”

Jodie Diegel, founder of SOUL Harbour Ranch in Barrington, oversees Barrington’s most experienced and comprehensive Animal Therapy Program, incorporating therapy dogs, a therapy cat and therapy miniature horses. The organization received a $5,000 donation from volunteer Dawn Grubbs, which covered Dora’s placement as a future therapy dog at CAC.

Dora, along with her brother Oliver who is the new Barrington Police Department therapy dog, will be “...loved and trained by their handlers with the guidance of SOUL Harbour Ranch and our fabulous certified dog trainer, LuAnne Smith, who also oversees the Northwest Community Hospital Animal Assisted Therapy training and Chicagoland Dog Rescue,” Diegel said.

Dora and Oliver need to be at least 1 year old to become registered therapy dogs, although most dogs continue their training and pass their test when they are 1½ to 2 years old.

CAC’s Hernandez met Diegel in May when they were attending the Barrington Area Community Foundation awards breakfast where both CAC and SOUL Harbour Ranch received funds for special projects. A casual question about how SOUL Harbour Ranch placed therapy dogs sparked excitement in Hernandez when Diegel mentioned that Oliver’s sister was still available. That conversation led to more with CAC’s CEO, Melanie Pignotti, and soon Hernandez was picking up Dora from SOUL Harbour Ranch and bringing her home. By day she is CAC’s therapy-dog-in-training for Mental Health Services, by night she is Hernandez’s family pet; but she is adored 24/7.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dora to our CAC team!” Pignotti said. “Her name means ‘gift,’ and I truly feel she is a gift to our organization that we can share with the community. This special addition will offer much-needed comfort and emotional support to the children and families we serve.” Pignotti said. “I am deeply grateful to SOUL Harbour Ranch for making this possible, and to Yesenia Hernandez, for providing a wonderful home to Dora as her primary handler. I look forward to integrating Dora into our services to help create a sense of safety, connection and calm, which are essential for healing.”

CAC is excited to share Dora’s and Yesenia’s journey over the coming months and look forward to introducing Dora to the community when she is ready for her public debut. Follow their adventures to date on CAC’s social media channels.

To make a gift in honor of Dora to support CAC’s Mental Health Services, visit CAC’s Giving page at cachelps.org/donate.

Since 1989, Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County has worked to empower the voices of children who have experienced violence, inspire hope and help them overcome their trauma. Before the existence of Children’s Advocacy Centers, children who reported abuse would have to tell their stories multiple times to multiple people. Children would relive the most traumatic moments in their lives over and over again. CAC changed that.

CAC coordinates a single interview for the child with their Multidisciplinary Team, made up of local police, DCFS, State’s Attorneys and medical personnel, which limits additional trauma to the child. CAC’s Advocates meet with the nonoffending parents/caregivers and walk them through the forensic interview process and what they can expect. CAC’s specially trained Forensic Interviewers ask the children trauma-informed, age-appropriate questions that get all the necessary information to continue with the investigation. These interviews are viewed live by CAC’s Multidisciplinary Team and recorded, reducing the number of times a child needs to give their account of the incident. CAC Advocates continue to help the family navigate the legal process, connect with other supportive community resources and refer them to CAC's in-house trauma therapy.

CAC’s Trauma Therapists provide highly specialized mental health counseling to children and their nonoffending family members to help them process the trauma and build resilience.

CAC’s primary service area covers 38 north and northwest Chicago suburbs. However, they also accept referrals from the collar counties and the city of Chicago. All services are offered free and in English and Spanish. The Voyce interpreter app is used for other language needs. More information is available at cachelps.org.