In one case, a 4-year-old girl who had been physically abused by her baby-sitter made a beeline for Buddy when she entered the office, Schaum said, throwing her arms around his neck before taking his leash and asking, "Can I walk him?"
"Now we get kids that don't want to leave," she said.
Amy Blank Ocampo, a senior assistant state's attorney who deals mostly with sexual assault, child and sex abuse cases, had a similar experience with two young girls who had been victims of their grandfather.
"They were so excited to meet [Buddy] that they couldn't wait to come back to our office," Ocampo said.
The girls, who were 7 and 8, were disappointed when they realized that they wouldn't be returning after the case ended, Ocampo said. "We don't normally see that."
Buddy gets kids talking, she said. His habit of becoming the focal point in meetings has led Ocampo to consider rearranging her office to allow for more floor space.
The dog also seems to set parents' minds at ease, she added.
"It really shows them that we really are doing what we can not to revictimize them," Ocampo said. "It's not all about us winning a case."
arin.gencer@baltsun.com
