In a pocket of buildings spread across a 32-acre clearing in south Louisiana—hidden deep in the woods and protected by a heavy iron gate—is Hope House, a safe house and rehabilitation center for victims of sex trafficking. And as 225 details in a feature from the current issue, it’s there that the organization’s Hope Hounds are helping former sex trafficking victims regain their confidence.
“The idea with the Hope Hounds is that these girls don’t know what unconditional love is,” Hope House leader Joe Tullier says. “They know, ‘This, for this amount of money.’ They don’t understand that people will love them just to love them. So what the dogs provide is a type of unconditional love that they don’t know.”
With the dogs, the residents at Hope House practice training exercises several times a week. In the exercises, the victims hone skills on decision-making and responsibility. With the dogs, the residents grow, Tullier says.
“You want to see progress, see success and growth,” he says. “They’re with these dogs a lot. They feel comfortable in a place that they wouldn’t [otherwise] be comfortable in. Talking about this stuff is not easy, but if they have their best friend right next to them, they have a sense that everything’s going to be OK.” Read the full story.
