Larry Griffin
Representative Jason Brodeur‘s new bill, HB 151, would let judges use service animals for those giving testimony in their courtrooms in cases of abuse, abandonment or neglect and for those who have intellectual disabilities.
The existing statutes rule that courts can choose to provide certain service animals, therapy animals or facility animals to victims of sexual offense cases. The rules say courts should take into account a number of things from the victim or witness’s age to the rights of the parties involved in the litigation and any other factors that would facilitate the testimony of the witness or victim in question.
The new bill expands those rules to victims of abuse, abandonment or neglect and also those who have intellectual disabilities.
Ellen O’Neill-Stephens with CourthouseDogs.org, which provides services to agencies that want to establish programs for the dogs in their own courtrooms, said it was important to distinguish between the different types of dogs used in such situations. Therapy animals provide emotional, psychological or physiological support and service animals specifically do things to help those with disabilities.
However, neither one is necessarily always equipped to deal with the unique challenges of a courtroom.
“Therapy dogs sometimes don’t receive proper training for this work,” she said. “They can be aggressive. I’ve seen some of them bark during a grand jury trial. Facility dogs are specially selected to do this. They will be at ease with a meth addict in the courtroom as well as kids in the courtroom.”
She said it’s important to have facility dogs because of the emotional toll a courtroom trial can have on victims or witnesses.
“Legal proceedings can be emotionally traumatic,” she said. “A person on a witness stand can start to experience a physiological reaction they had at the time of the event. Like, a World War 2 vet speaking about his experience will start to remember what it was like, and his eyes will well up with tears, and he’ll go quiet. The witnesses shut down and can’t give important evidence. A facility dog can give that person a positive association with the process rather than re-traumatizing them.”
2 comments
Ellen O'Neill-Stephens
January 6, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Hello Larry,
Thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you yesterday. There is one misquote in your article. “Service dogs sometimes don’t receive proper training for this work,” she said. “They can be aggressive. I’ve seen some of them bark during a grand jury trial.” I am almost certain I said therapy dogs don’t receive the proper training, not service dogs. Would you please correct this? Thanks so much. Ellen O’Neill-Stephens
Brenda Kocher
January 6, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Paragraph 1 states that the new HB 151 “would let judges use service animals for those giving testimony in their courtrooms in cases of abuse, abandonment or neglect” – It’s only for minors (and adults with intellectual disabilities). In paragraph 2, it states, “The existing statutes rule that courts can choose to provide certain service animals, therapy animals or facility animals…” Facility dogs (there are no such things as facility animals) are not included in the existing statute, but are being added in the new HB151. Paragraph 3 would again have you believing that the accommodation of a dog assisting a witness would apply to a victim of any age. Not true. Just minors and those with intellectual disabilities. I concur with Ms. O’Neill Stephens comments as well.
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