Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

A new state law will expand the use of therapy dogs in Michigan courtrooms, specifically for victims 17 and under, but not everyone is on board with it.

"Right now our canine advocates - we only have victim advocates as handlers in prosecutors' offices, not potentially an untrained handler," said Blythe Tyler, president and CEO of CARE House of Oakland County, whose dogs have been used to comfort survivors of child abuse and sexual assault, testify in court.

"So you can imagine the graphic testimony possibly of an abused child - that the handler may react, and that may be cause for appeal - making a child have to testify again," she told FOX 2 Detroit.

The law allows for any therapy dog recognized by the American Kennel Club to participate.

"You have to have trained people to sit with these children and work with them - and the same with the dogs - they have not been vetted," said Daniel Cojanu, co-founder of The Canine Advocacy Program.

"I've been working with neglected and abused children for over 43 years," Cojanu told FOX 2 Detroit. "And the thought of making them come back and testify again - it's unconscionable.

"This piece of legislation is frankly dangerous."

Photo courtesy of courthousedogs.org