Using dogs to comfort children in the courtroom has been controversial. In a situation where everyone is supposed to be objective, some believe they could lead to unwarranted convictions.

Nevertheless, they’re becoming more common and many children have been helped through some of the most difficult moments of their lives by these animals.

Rescuing Patriot

A Siberian Husky now named Patriot was rescued by the Orange County SPCA (OCSPCA) in California and adopted by a man named Kevin Marlin. Marlin is the program director for the Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) and PAWS Assist the Needs of the District Attorney (PANDA) therapy programs for the OCSPCA.

At just 4 months old, Patriot had been abused so badly he ended up with permanent scars. Patriot’s injuries were caused by metal wire that was tightly wrapped around his muzzle, cutting into his jowls.

But it’s those same scars that help children recognize they’re not alone.

“Patriot’s work with abuse victims stems from his understanding and empathy with other victims,” Marlin told The Dodo. “He seems to have a way of understanding their pain and helps them to see that there is life and love after abuse. Many of the victims can easily identify with him and recognize his scars as having been from abuse.”

Marlin still struggles to understand how someone could have treated the husky that way.

“Somebody had wrapped it tightly to keep it shut — I’ve struggled to understand why anyone could be so cruel,” he told PEOPLE. “Patriot needed several surgeries to help repair the damage. We also learned that his tongue had been severed about three-quarters of an inch.”

Patriot knowns that healing is a long process. It took him some time to trust again after being left with physical and emotional trauma.

It was love and peanut butter that helped light the way to recovery.

“One of the things I used to do was to put peanut butter on my fingers and let him nibble and lick it from my hands,” Marlin said. “This helped him to trust me and to also teach him that I was not going to hurt him.”

Helping kids heal

Marlin had no intention of making Patriot a therapy dog, but eventually, he realized that the pup had a knack for making children feel safe.

“I had set the bar with him at making him social enough to adapt to a family lifestyle and have some trust with people,” Marlin told The Dodo.

Patriot had a canine brother who was a therapy dog and Marlin thinks the will to help rubbed off on him. And it turns out, the formerly abused pup was the perfect candidate for the task.

“I never pushed him to it, he wanted to,” Marlin said. “He was one of the easier dogs I’ve ever trained for the program and surprisingly passed the evaluation at 1 year of age — something not many dogs in the program have done. Usually at that age they don’t have the focus or ambition, but he seemed to want to get started right off.”

Getting to work

Patriot became a therapy dog in 2015. Now, he works with children and adults in retirement homes, hospice care, brain trauma units, children’s special needs classes, domestic violence shelters, and children’s foster and group homes.

It is through the PAWS Assist the Needs of the District Attorney (PANDA) program that he lends his support to children who have been abused when they have to testify during court proceedings.

Marlin recalled one special moment when Patriot did what he does best:

“He worked his way [over to] her, until he finally nudged her with his nose,” he said. “The young girl wrapped her arms around him as the tears rolled down her face, and the two made a connection on a spiritual level. At the end of the meeting, she had left the room, only to return a few moments later, where she came back to Patriot and hugged him again, having a hard time leaving him behind.”

Patriot’s proud owner said it’s an honor to work with such a compassionate creature.

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Source: The Dodo, Reuters, PEOPLE