KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville nonprofit is trying to prevent child sex trafficking with the help of a therapy dog named Lancelot.
The well-equipped pup not only gives kids comfort but also teaches them how to be safe online. It's all through a program with Street Hope Tennessee.
"We are a faith-based counter sex trafficking organization for children," said Devin Payne, the executive director for Street Hope. "We focus on awareness, prevention and restoration surrounding child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation."
Payne and her team know the dangers lurking online, and they said it has gotten worse during the pandemic. On average, 94 kids are sold for sex online every month in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
"Unfortunately, we live in a world today where kids as young as 5 have access to digital devices and things like that," Payne said. "The world is at children's fingertips. But really, your kids are at the world's fingertips."
That's why they started creating an age-appropriate child-focused curriculum, with Lancelot at the center of videos and learning materials showing kids how to stay safe.
The full K-8 Lancelot curriculum hasn't been released yet, but the team is working to make it available to parents and schools.
Lancelot started out being a therapy dog for the girls who Street Hope serves. They are child victims of domestic minor sex trafficking. They will one day live at the finished home, Garland Oaks, in East Tennessee.
Lancelot is a certified therapy dog, providing comfort to those victims throughout the week. The team at the nonprofit decided the pup could help a lot more people by adding on this "undercover superhero" role of protecting kids online.
"Kids love animals, kids love dogs," Payne said. "Why not use this dog that is a partner, who is someone that can love and support kids that have been hurting, to also be a superhero who then can come alongside and serve as a protector for kids too."
When the website, Adventures of Lancelot, is finished at the end of February, this puppy dog's impact will help change lives beyond the computer screen.
There will be multiple videos, lessons and activities on the website to teach kids. Lancelot won't be alone in his adventures, though.
Special Agent Ted Francisco, who is retired from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, serves as the expert in the videos about safety.
"Our goal is to teach kids, 'You're gonna have to be online, so how can we teach you to do it responsibly,'" Payne said. "[The internet] can be useful, but it can also be very hurtful at the same time."
There are ways you can help Lance with his mission of keeping kids safe. You can submit pictures of your pet all dressed up to info@adventuresoflancelot.org for a chance to be featured on the website.