FYDO Webinar

Register NOW by clicking HERE, and get ready to join us for an enlightening and heartwarming experience this October. We can’t wait to see you online!

📅 Date: 12 October 2023
📅 Time: 13:30 to 16:00
📍 Location: Online

We all know that dogs have the ability to help humans. They are often our pets and companions in our private lives, where they give us love and affection. Yet, there is a special group of dogs – those who have a mission, an actual job to do! Assistance dogs have been recognised as valuable members of the society for decades and have been improving people’s lives not just by their sheer presence, but also by working alongside humans.

A victims’ journey is rarely a pleasurable experience. Many victims face numerous barriers to come forward and report the crime they were subject to. Those who report crimes often face a long road to see the end of criminal proceedings, with the prospect of facing many uncomfortable situations, where presence of an empathetic furry companion can make all the difference and help them get through the experience with happier memories.

In the past several years, Victim Support Europe has embarked on an extraordinary journey, alongside our amazing partners: Since the dawn of 2021, a remarkable coalition of organisations – Victim Support Europe (BE), Dog4Life (IT), Viaduq67 (FR), Handi’Chiens (FR), Canisha (BE), Hachiko (BE), and the University College Cork (IE) to develop the first European transnational effort to train victim support dogs! Facility Dogs in Europe (FYDO) project has set out to train and place justice assistance dogs alongside vulnerable victims of crime as they navigate the tumultuous path to justice.

In 2021 and 2022, the FYDO project, co-funded by the European Commission, has set out the framework for ensuring a highly qualified canine experts can be put to service of vulnerable human to advance the implementation of the EU’s Victims’ Rights Directive. The project has birthed a pioneering European facility dog training program, guaranteeing that highly skilled dogs are by the side of those who need them most, both in courtrooms and on the path to recovery. In October 2021, the FYDO network was created, with the aim to promote justice facility dogs in every EU Member State. The goal? To make sure that on their rocky journey to justice, victims can be sure to get the support they need from qualified FYDO dogs.

To date, the FYDO practice is taking on, with dogs being trained and teamed up to work with humans to advance victims’ experiences in Belgium, France and Italy. Many more countries have demonstrated interest in the programme and the curiosity about the programme grows by the day.

Together, the dynamic human-canine tandems work tirelessly to assist victims within the complex tapestry of the criminal justice system.