Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 6-21-17

24 I COVER STORY I
June 21, 2017
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERSNEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
In St. Charles County courts,
kids can count on a special friend
By BRIAN FLINCHPAUGH
Sully doesn’t mind if his ears are pulled,
if his hair is mussed or if the hugs around
his neck are bit tight – it’s all in a day’s
work.
Last November, Sully joined the St.
Charles County prosecuting attorney’s
office. But he isn’t your typical dogged,
hard-nosed prosecutor. He’s just a dog.
Actually, he’s more like a comforter. A
2-year-old golden retriever, he has an
important role – that of “courthouse dog”
or “facility dog,” as proponents prefer.
Trained at a women’s prison, he likes
dishing out his own unique brand of affection
– a lick to the face or hand, a gentle
nuzzle with his wet nose or maybe just staying
quietly close enough to calm victims
who find themselves in the criminal justice
system, particularly children involved in
sexual, emotional or physical abuse.
Sully is one of a growing number of
highly trained assistance animals in St.
Charles and St. Louis counties. He is more
frequently called in to provide assistance
to children who face being interviewed
for depositions or participating in court
proceedings and trials. His job might be
likened to someone who can hold hands,
although in this case, holding a paw may
be more appropriate.
“I think [of him] more as a comfort
item because that’s really what he does,”
explained Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Rebecca Shaffar, Sully’s boss, who takes
him home at the end of each day and cares
for him. “Being a dog, he gives some comfort
and possibly some security so [victims]
can then talk or don’t feel afraid with
him there.”
Reka
The idea of dogs providing this
kind of support is not new. According
to a paper published by the
American Bar Association, in the
1700s, Society of Friends officials
said farm animals may have helped
with the rehabilitation of patients at
a facility they founded in England
for people with mental illnesses. The
concept gained traction in the U.S.
legal system starting in 2003, when
Seattle prosecutor Ellen O’Neill-
Stephens promoted the use of highly
trained assistance dogs to provide
comfort to children and adults who
were victims of crime. O’Neill-
Stephens and veterinarian Celeste
Walsen founded the Courthouse Dog
Foundation in 2012, which promotes
the support dog concept in the U.S.
and internationally.
In the local court system, Reka, Sully
a 4-year-old chocolate Labrador
retriever, is a true pioneer. Since 2015, she
has been working at The Child Center in
Wentzville, a child advocacy center that
works with state and local agencies in a
multi-county area, supporting children who
are victims of sexual or physical abuse, or
who may have witnessed violent crimes.
TRUE CHAMPS
Both Sully and Reka are graduates of
CHAMP Assistance Dogs, Inc., a nonprofit
organization based in North St. Louis
County. CHAMP stands for Canine Helpers
Allow More Possibilities and is one of
several local not-for-profit organizations
training dogs for a variety of tasks. Nola
Ewers, director of CHAMP’s assistance
dog program, said facility dogs also are
used in St. Louis City and St. Louis County
courts. Most work with counselors or
trained handlers to use their special skills
in a more public setting.
Sully is unique. Handled by a staff
member, rather than a volunteer, authorities
say he may be one of Missouri’s first fulltime
courthouse dogs. His role, according
to Ewers, “is to make the kids feel able to
tell whatever may have happened.”
“Particularly with children, it can be
intimidating to be there and tell their side
of the story,” Ewers said. “The dog there
gives the child something else to focus on
so they can kind of get a little bit of that
stress and anxiety out, so they can tell their
side of the story to prosecutors and everyone
in the courtroom.”
Shaffar said Sully shows up for
work every day at the prosecutor’s
office with Shaffar, gets dressed in
his special vest [identifying him as
a facility dog] and collar, and begins
his day. He can appear in the courtroom
and sit quietly. Often, he comes
to an interview room. Typically, he
sits on one end of a couch and puts
his head on a child’s lap to be petted.
The interaction is always supervised
by Shaffar, who says Sully also helps
the prosecutors.
“It [Sully’s presence] certainly
makes the kids easier to talk to,” she
said.
That’s also true of Reka, said Amy
Robins, supervisor of forensic services
at The Child Center and one of
Reka’s three handlers. Reka’s primary role
is to sit with children during a “forensic
interview,” in which staff members have
to ask them detailed questions about what
may have happened to them.
The interviewers are child-friendly but
have to remain neutral and unbiased – they
can’t respond in the same way to a child
crying as they would outside an interview
situation. The interview also is viewed
by prosecutors and other staff. Kids over
5 know that and often feel intimidated,
Robins said, adding that Reka seems to
understand this situation.
“Sometimes she will do funny things to
try to get them to laugh,” Robins said. “If
she has a kid who is crying a lot, she may
try to climb into their lap or try to eat the
tissue that they have. It’s really amazing,
the sense she has for which kids need her
the most.”
Petting Reka can reduce trauma in a
lot of ways – research shows it supports
an increase of serotonin in the brain, so it
allows an increase in comfort, Robins said.
“I’m really not a dog person per se, but
I knew that Reka would be really great for
our agency,” said Robins, who provides
home care for Reka. “It is hands-down the
best decision our agency has ever made.”
IT’S ALL IN THE TRAINING
Sullys and Rekas are rare.
“Not every dog can be a facility dog,
because they obviously have to have the
temperament,” Shaffar said. Sully doesn’t
scare easily or get upset by loud noises. He