“She reassured me”: who is Suzy, the dog who frees the voices of victims and suspects at the Saint-Brieuc police station?

“It was the first time I saw Suzy,” confesses Paulette

70 years old, leaving an interview. She reassured me and helped me talk, because she reminds me of my childhood with my parents, we had a dog. I will be happy to see her again. »

Since September 2022, for half a day per week, this three-year-old black Labrador with tender eyes has been assisting his owner in her mission as a social worker: collecting the testimony of people in distress, victims or perpetrators of crimes, which the police have identified require support beyond the judicial system. “If she sees someone crying, she will go directly to them,” assures Véronique Cazorla, Suzy’s mistress and social worker at the Saint-Brieuc police station. I choose the interviews I do with Suzy. Not everyone is receptive to his presence. But often, even reluctant people end up being convinced. »

Freedom of speech

Using her snout, Suzy perceives signs of distress in Véronique Cazorla's interlocutors. (Le Télégramme/Frédéric Militon)

“A visit to a police station can be experienced as an uncomfortable situation,” analyzes Véronique Cazorla. Suzy manages to break the heavy image that this place can have. She also has this ability to understand emotion, be discreet and intervene at the right time. It allows people to release part of their distress. I learn every day with her. »

Suzy is not a mediator dog but a “visitor dog”. The difference? The person at the end of the leash is a professional in the first case, a volunteer in the second. But both mediator dogs and visitors are generally endowed with the same empathetic qualities.

After completing an internship at the Saint-Brieuc dog training school, Véronique Cazorla proposed to her superiors the project of being occasionally accompanied by Suzy. The feedback was quick and positive, favored by a corporation used to working with these animals.

“A single meeting can tire her out a lot”

Suzy knows how to be discreet during interviews with her mistress. (Le Télégramme/Frédéric Militon)

The relief that Suzy can provide is not without consequences. “It captures the person’s emotions,” explains Véronique Cazorla. A single date can tire her out a lot. » This is why these interviews are limited to half a day per week. “I take it out between each person I meet, so that it can relieve the emotional burden a little. »