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We are glad community members had a chance to meet Ludo, the new Lycoming County courthouse dog, as reported in Thursday's edition of the Sun-Gazette.
Ludo is taking over for the late Jedi, a 2018 finalist for the Sun-Gazette's "person" of the year. Jedi comforted children and helped youngsters manage their anxiety when they had to testify in court proceedings such as trials and custody disputes.
"It gives them something to think about other than the reason they are here," Jerri Rook, who handled Jedi and now handles Ludo, told the Sun-Gazette in 2018.
Rook, Judge Joy McCoy and Melissa Wheeland, a Children and Youth assessment supervisor, described how Jedi helped children through what often are some of the most heart-breaking and difficult moments of their lives, sharing details of how Jedi comforted children in specific cases.
"I truly believe he helped us with the case," Jordan McGill, an assessment caseworker with Children and Youth, said of the comfort Jedi provided to a child victim in one criminal trial.
The facility canine program has become a blessing, and we are gratified that Ludo will continue Jedi's important work in the coming years.