Once a week Jada visits the vulnerable young people in custody at Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre.

She sits with the residents, many of whom have faced significant challenges and hardships in their lives, and quietly helps them improve their social skills, increase their positive emotions and self-esteem, and build trust and empathy.

But Jada’s not a psychologist or a social worker – she’s actually a stocky little staffy with alopecia and a smile that would melt any heart.

Jada Bug, as the young people at Kurlana Tapa affectionately call her, is part of the PAWS Pet Therapy program which aims to help young people in youth justice experience a sense of normality.

The initiative is part of a wider therapeutic and trauma-informed approach to support young people to find a path away from reoffending.

Many of the young residents, who often miss their pets from home, find comfort in Jada’s presence as they sit with her enjoying a pat or a hug on the couch.

She has even helped one resident to overcome their fear of dogs after a previous traumatic experience.

The young people enjoy seeing Jada shake, spin and roll over, and give her a parting belly rub, either for good luck or to make a wish.

Jada’s positive impact is reflected in the comments from young people at Kurlana Tapa, who wrote the following testimonials for their beloved canine friend:

• “Good dog. Luv it so much.”
• “Makes me feel good.”
• “We love you Jada Bug.”
• “The dog Jada makes me feel better.”
• “Could we keep Jada because she’s cute also she makes me happy.”

Testament to her resilience, Jada has survived kidney cancer and lives with colour dilution alopecia, a condition that results in sparse hair, prompting one young person to ask, ‘did you shave her?’.

Sharon Stewart, CEO and founder of PAWS Pet Therapy, said Jada demonstrated the profound difference a therapy animal could make.

“Animals have an unconditional love for people,” Ms Stewart said.

“It doesn’t matter who they are, what their background is, what’s going on in their life, they’ll love them.

“But also, on a physiological level, pet therapy is proven to lower people’s stress levels and heart rates and pain perception and increase happy hormones and decrease all of our stress hormones.

“But what Jada specifically brings is her outgoing nature and that unconditional love.”