By Liz Shepard
Times Herald
PORT HURON (AP) - The St. Clair County Courthouse's newest employee has an important job - to comfort those going through unimaginable times.
Bruin, a 5-year-old golden retriever, has a quiet demeanor and silky ears, ready for a pet or a snuggle. He's a calm dog, but every once in a while still feels the need for a roll on his back and will do anything for a tennis ball.
He came to the prosecutor's victims rights office from the nonprofit Canine Advocacy Program, which "was developed to provide advocacy services to child victims utilizing a highly trained dog to help alleviate the anxiety associated with being involved in the criminal justice system," according to its website.
Bruin is undergoing training to sit quietly in the courtroom at the feet of child witnesses to help reduce the trauma they may be going through.
He's also in the victims rights office to lend support between hearings, the Times Herald reported.
"It's been wonderful," Cortney Carl, a victim advocate with the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office, said of getting Bruin.
Carl is charged with Bruin's care throughout the work day. He goes home with Michelle Weeks, an assistant prosecutor, after his shift.
Carl said getting a dog to assist victims is something she has wanted for years, and she's already seen the difference Bruin can make.
She was recently working with a teenage victim in a criminal sexual conduct case who had a difficult time testifying.
"He put his paw on her lap and that's all she needed," Carl said.
St. Clair County Prosecutor Mike Wendling said Carl pushed for his office to give a dog a try, something that is happening throughout the state.
He said while it is important to ease the stress on the victim, having a dog provide comfort can also lead to more truthful testimony as the victim can focus better on their answers and make it a less traumatic experience.
While the office had the funding ready about a year ago, it had to wait for a dog to be placed with the victims rights program.
Bruin got into the Canine Advocacy Program after it was determined that the person he worked with as a leader dog wasn't treating him appropriately.
Carl said Bruin was overweight and had some skin issues.
More than a month ago, Carl got the call that Bruin be coming to St. Clair County.
For two weeks she has been working with Bruin teaching him to sit in the witness boxes of each courtroom. When she leads him to the box he walks in, puts his head down and can stay for up to an hour out of sight while victims testify.
Wendling said Bruin's focus will be on child victims, although there may be special cases adults who need his help.
"Our intent is child victims, and unfortunately we have a lot of them," he said.
Bruin's presence is another way the office is working to ensure victims stay in the forefront of the process, which mostly puts defendants' rights at center stage.
And it is another program that was assisted by P.S. You're My Hero, a nonprofit started by one of the office's most notable victims.
"The system has not been kind to Mara Skinner and she has been so kind to everyone else," Wendling said.
Bruin's initial cost was a $1,000 donation to Leader Dogs for the Blind, which was provided by P.S. You're My Hero, the Crime Victim Foundation and donations.
P.S. You're My Hero was started by Mara McCalmon, who in 2010 started a long journey of recovery following a horrific crime that left her husband, Paul Skinner, dead.
"I would like you to know that It is completely overwhelming being a victim; emotionally, physically, and financially," she wrote on the organizations website. "It is a dark place, a world that people don't want to talk about or hear about, and not a place that anyone wants to be in. It is because of this, I think, we do not do enough for victims. Victims really don't want to ask for help, it's hard."
Published: Wed, Sep 19, 2018
