Woodbridge Animal Hospital has agreed to sponsor all routine veterinary care costs for the new “Top Dog” at the Prince William County Department of Social Services. “Meyer” has recently been signed on as the newest employee at the department, and his job is to calm and comfort children who have been the victims of abuse and neglect, or who have witnessed violent crimes. According to Dr. Jim McDonald, the chief veterinarian at Woodbridge Animal Hospital, they are more than happy to shoulder the responsibility for Meyer’s routine care so that he can offer his services to children in need for many years to come.
Dr. McDonald describes how the animal hospital first came into contact with Meyer: “His personal handler, Sarah Weatherford, has been a client of Woodbridge Animal Hospital for awhile with other animals and she approached us to ask if we could help out with some of Meyer’s regular medical expenses. She’d planned to ask several veterinarians in Woodbridge to pitch in and help with various costs as well. But we were so impressed with Meyer and the job he does that we agreed to cover all of his routine veterinary care. This will make it easier on Sarah and Meyer so they can spend more time doing their important job of comforting kids in distress and not running around town trying to get his basic veterinary care needs met.”
Meyer, who is the first “Top Dog” of his kind in the area, lives and works with his personal handler, Sarah Weatherford. She trained with Meyer at the “Canine Companions for Independence” in Medford, NY. Meyer will comfort children during forensic interviews by law enforcement investigators and nurse’s examinations following abuse, neglect and violent crimes.
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According to Weatherford, these investigations can compound emotional trauma children have already suffered in the first place and make it hard for investigators to get accurate information that can help protect the victims and serve justice on perpetrators. But, she adds, that therapy dogs like Meyer have already helped comfort and relax traumatized children so they can better endure the difficulties of investigations, examinations and courtrooms.
“Practically everybody who meets Meyer loves him instantly,” says Weatherford, “There’s nothing that compares to the feeling of being able to help a child get through a terrifying and horrible situation and just being there for them when they really need that comfort. Meyer does such a great job of it, and I’m really proud of him and the work we do together to help these kids. But you know, Meyer needs to be in good health every day to do this, so it was a huge relief when Woodbridge Animal Hospital stepped in and offered to defray his routine veterinary care.”
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Woodbridge veterinarian, Dr. McDonald says it is an honor for him and his team to care for Meyer. “We were actually thrilled that Sarah approached us to care for Meyer. He’s an incredible guy. This is the first child protection agency in Prince William County to offer this “gold standard” approach to child protection, so it’s a fantastic cause that we’re happy to be a part of.”
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Dr. Jim McDonald
Woodbridge Animal Hospital
2703 Caton Hill Rd.
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Phone: (703) 897-5665