Fall 2024/Winter 2025
3
Comfort Dog Asher is a new state employee
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles is the first paroling authority in the nation to have a "Comfort Dog."
Asher and Handler Mandy Kimner are assigned to the Georgia Office of Victim Services (GOVS), a division of the Parole Board.
Asher is training to help relieve stress and trauma to anyone experiencing those emotions. Asher and Mandy are part of the GOVS Critical Incident Stress Management Program (CISM).
Crime victims will be a priority for Asher and Mandy. The team will be where crime victims are in order to provide comfort and relieve stress or trauma.
"Asher is true to his name, which means happy," says Mandy Kimner.
“He is here to uplift and positively impact our community,” added Kimner.
The new Comfort Dog Program originated after Georgia parole and victim services staff met Flossy, a South Carolina Department of Corrections Therapy Dog at the National Association of Victim Assistance in Corrections (NAVAC) Conference in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2022. Parole Board Chairman David Herring attended the conference. Handler Karin Ho and Flossy later visited the Georgia Parole Board helping set a path forward for Georgia to add Asher and the Comfort Dog Program.
Continued on page 4, see
"Asher."