Courtroom comfort
For stressed children witnesses, it’s a dog’s world
There’s no Take-Your-Dog-to-Court Day, but in Pennsylvania there’s something better: a program that invites man’s best friend into courtrooms to help soothe children in stressful dependency proceedings.
Allegheny County is not yet among Pennsylvania’s 20 judicial districts using “comfort dogs” to better serve their youngest, most vulnerable clients, but is considering it, a spokeswoman said. What’s to consider? The company of dogs has been proven to lower cortisol, the hormone that induces stress, and studies have shown that when people spend time with dogs, they are happier, healthier and more social.
To encourage expansion of the program already in place in a third of its judicial districts, the state’s Office of Children and Families in the Courts made a video extolling the value of dogs in the courtroom during custody hearings. When friendly dogs accompany children to court, they defuse anxiety, helping both children and adults better navigate a potentially traumatic situation. As Supreme Court Justice Max Baer noted, “Instead of focusing on the trauma they have experienced, the memory many children have about court is spending time with the dog.”
Comfort dogs differ from companion dogs in that they don’t have to perform any service other than providing company and affection. They still must be trained, however, and certified through national organizations. People can’t just take their own dogs to court.
Allegheny County already has evidence that dogs can be useful in judicial settings. In day care provided by the National Council of Jewish Women for children of Family Division litigants and jurors, therapy dogs visit every other Friday. And victims of domestic violence in Pittsburgh benefit from visits by a spaniel-mix named Penny — a former shelter dog provided by Crisis Center North to help battered women before, during and after court testimony.
Dogs have been demonstrating their willingness to help humans since they were first domesticated more than 20,000 years ago in Europe. They are willing and cheerful partners in almost every human endeavor. In dependency proceedings, it’s time for Allegheny County to climb on the waggin’.