Months after prosecutors say a Garden Grove pastor bicycling along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach was killed by an intoxicated driver, his wife and four children gathered with others for Orange County’s 2026 Crime Victims’ Rights ceremony at Santa Ana’s Civic Center.
Read more USC football lists 5 true freshmen as starters – it’s not what you think
Photos of people killed in crimes lined the courtyard; the pastor’s was there, too.
As the wife of one of the other two cyclists injured in the crash spoke, a golden retriever therapy dog named Freddie, unprompted, made his way to the four children, several years old to high-school age.
The children rested their hands on the dog as they listened.
“Freddie wouldn’t leave those kids’ sides for the rest of the night,” said Peter Chang, executive director of OC Animal Allies.
PANDA began a decade ago when prosecutors in the sexual assault unit of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office approached that nonprofit’s program Pets Are Wonderful Support — PAWS, which trots out therapy dogs to nursing homes, hospitals, hospices and other places. The prosecutors wanted dogs to lend support to victims they serve, too, particularly children.
Prosecutor Juliet Oliver said officials now are working to expand the program into additional units, including those for homicide and for family protection.
“The criminal justice system in and of itself is scary for both adults and children,” Oliver said. “A dog has shown to be a disarming force that can put everyone at ease.”
Nanci Gordon, who has volunteered with OC Animal Allies for 16 years, said her interest in therapy work began in the classroom when she taught: She took her dogs to school and saw how they calmed students.
Earlier this year, Gordon took Lady — her Cavalier King Charles spaniel — to a court hearing involving 11 families whose dogs died while in the care of an Irvine dog trainer.
Many of the dog owners held or pet Lady throughout the hearing.
“It’s satisfying to see the body language change in someone who is so anxious,” Gordon said. “The dog becomes part of them.”
PANDA dogs include golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, cocker spaniels, corgis and mixed breeds. Cindy Woxen, program manager with OC Animal Allies, said the selection is based on personality, demeanor and training. The handlers — the pets’ owners — are evaluated as well, including their professionalism and their ability to remain composed during emotionally intense situations.
Read more Job Corps centers in Inland Empire, LA, Long Beach saved from budget ax
Kris Bonham, left, Chrissie Emmel with her Golden Retriever, Freddie, 7, Barbara Murphy with her Golden Retriever, Shealyn, 10, Kristen Monson with her corgi, Margaret, 4, Nanci Gordon with her Cavalier King Charles, Lady, 4, Jon Davis-Rath, with his white Golden Retriever, Chrissy, 10, and Rita Tayenaka, with her black lab, Higbee, 11, in Tustin on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The dog owners are part of a partnership between OC Animal Allies and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that brings trained therapy dogs into courtrooms and meetings to support victims, witnesses and families navigating the criminal justice system. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lady, a 4-year-old Cavalier King Charles, in Tustin on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The dog is part of a partnership between OC Animal Allies and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that brings trained therapy dogs into courtrooms and meetings to support victims, witnesses and families navigating the criminal justice system. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chrissy, a 10-year-old white Golden Retriever in Tustin on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The dogs are part of a partnership between OC Animal Allies and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that brings trained therapy dogs into courtrooms and meetings to support victims, witnesses and families navigating the criminal justice system. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Margaret, a 4-year-old corgi, and Higbee, an 11-year-old black lab, in Tustin on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The dogs are part of a partnership between OC Animal Allies and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that brings trained therapy dogs into courtrooms and meetings to support victims, witnesses and families navigating the criminal justice system. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chrissy, a 10-year-old white Golden Retriever, left, and Freddie, a 7-year-old Golden Retriever, in Tustin on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The dogs are part of a partnership between OC Animal Allies and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office that brings trained therapy dogs into courtrooms and meetings to support victims, witnesses and families navigating the criminal justice system. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The therapy dogs are trained and certified to work in public settings such as courts, hospitals and schools.
“We wish more people could do it, but most dogs aren’t equipped for it,” Chang said.
When they’re not working, the PANDA dogs are pets.
The dogs may accompany victims and witnesses at multiple points in a case, including the initial meeting with prosecutors, interviews and, when permitted, court appearances.
Dogs and handlers must complete at least two years of therapy-dog service with PAWS first, as well as undergo additional training, background checks and interviews before being accepted into PANDA.
Chang, OC Animal Allies’ executive director, said that level of screening makes the program highly selective, even as interest among volunteers grows.
There are seven dog-and-handler teams in the program now, with a wait list of volunteers hoping to participate, Chang said. PANDA handles 10 to 12 cases per year, though officials expect that number to swell as the effort expands into additional units.
PANDA volunteers must remain quiet and still during proceedings and allow the dogs to engage naturally. That distinction, Chang said, makes the work especially demanding.
“In this program, the handler has to stay absolutely silent and let the dog do its magic,” he said.
Woxen, the program manager with OC Animal Allies, said the work can be emotionally difficult for the handers, the pet owners.
Read more Fryer: Orange football QB Star Thomas is living up to his name
“We see a lot of ugly stuff, but it’s worth it every step of the way,” she said.