Therapy K9 Unit, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office | 2020 National Crime Victims' Service Awards Tribute Video

DARRAH METZ: When people think of dogs in policing, they think of a German shepherd--not a labradoodle, a poodle, and a Labrador retriever!

JASON RATCLIFF: Uh, uh, uh! No!

DARRAH METZ: We focus on victim advocacy, mental health, and trauma. We often say, "Voice for the Voiceless" and "Hope for the Hopeless," and it's in those moments that our dogs do their job perfectly.

IRENE KNAPP: I was in the process of interviewing an 8-year-old little girl who was a victim of a sexual assault. She had extraordinary trouble communicating with me in pretrial interviews about what happened to her.

She would shut down, she would lay on the floor, she would totally curl in, and we were unable to get her to vocalize. Mattis came in, and it was quite dramatic, the reaction that this little 8-year-old had.

DARRAH METZ: He laid down on her lap, and when they started asking her questions, she kind of looked at me, looked at Mattis, and she lifted up his ear and started whispering the answers into his ear. She was able to recount 2 years of abuse at the hands of her stepfather.

JASON RATCLIFF: Last year we were deployed 650 times. 2019 was our biggest year by far. And we came close to doubling our deployments from 2018.

DARRAH METZ: Our program was completely donated by our community partners, so without them, this doesn't exist. We're helping other agencies start their programs across our country.

JASON RATCLIFF: When we began this program three years ago, we were one of six. When you consider there's over 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, it's a great opportunity for us to educate them what these dogs do.

JENNA: I had a lot of anxiety about going to court and everything, and I didn't think a dog could help me as much as she has.

MARILYN: And just to know that that's their job and that they're able to do that is just amazing.

MICHAEL D'ERRICO: Come on! Good boy! We are trying very hard to move this program to full time. There's definitely work out there, for sure.

DARRAH METZ: And hopefully one day we'll get to a point where we're utilizing our dogs to the fullest potential, and in the meantime, we're going to be there for any victim that we can.