Aroostook County will be the first county to have a dog at their courthouse that’s trained to comfort individuals who’ve gone through a trauma.
Holiday is a yellow labrador retriever that’s a donation from a local breeder and lives with the Aroostook County District Attorney Todd Collins in Presque Isle.
Holiday is currently being trained to work with people in a courtroom.
Collins explains that courthouse facility dogs are a sense of normality during proceedings and can provide great comfort to vulnerable victims like kids, victims of rape, adults with delayed development, as well as to the elderly.
These dogs can also offer emotional comfort to family members during trials and sentencing of offenders.
The First Maine District to Include Comfort Dogs
Collins wants the Aroostook County to become the first district in Maine that will include courthouse dogs that will soothe kids and victims throughout the process.
He wants them to help reduce the stress and psychological burden of survivors and witnesses and alleviate the trauma that’s brought them to court in the first place.
The dogs are trained and don’t disrupt the proceedings in any way nor cause legal problems. Holiday is around 14 weeks old and she was a donation by Karley Allen from Northern Woods Labs in Limestone.
Although it will take around two years for this sweet pup to complete her training, she’s already a heart-melter wherever she goes-whether it’s the office in Houlton or in Caribou.
Allen says that when he began his program, he decided to donate puppies for service and therapy work and he believes with his whole heart in the power of dogs.
He adds that dogs are healers with an endless abundance of love who can give back to their communities when they’re properly trained and given the opportunity.
Much More than Support for the Victims of Violence & Crime
Victims of violence aren’t the only ones dealing with trauma and stress.
People in volunteering fields, law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire services, and other professions are also prone to burnout and stress due to the ongoing exposure to these victims.
The Houlton courthouse has an unofficial therapy dog named Nephi. This 3-year-old English Mastiff that weighs almost 200 pounds is often in the office of his owner, the victim/witness advocate Valerie Eldredge.
Holiday’s job will be more focused because she’ll become the first trained courthouse dog in the state and an officially licensed courthouse dog.
She will need to complete 208 hours of training to be qualified as a working dog.
Therapy dogs differ from service dogs in their attentiveness level. Holiday will be trained to remain still and silent in a courtroom, walk to the witness, stand up and sit down on command, and remain in one place for longer periods of time.
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