Court can be ruff, but courthouse dogs can help alleviate anxiety to ease the judicial process. Meet Frankie, a wirehaired pointing griffon who works in the First Judicial Circuit. Tom Rabideau, her handler, shares the impact their work has in the Saline County Courthouse.
Tell us about your therapy dog (age, breed, etc.). How long has Frankie worked with the court?
Frankie is a five-year-old wirehaired pointing griffon. Her registered name is Glacier’s Luck be a Lady - “Luck be a Lady” being a song sung by Frank Sinatra, thus, Frankie. We have been in the court system for about a year.
How would you describe her daily job?
We enter the court about fifteen minutes ahead of session, greet the lawyers, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) workers and any other people connected to the court. Cases are called in and we interact with those needing calming influences. Adoptions are our favorite parts (of the work) as the children as a whole love that there is a dog in a place they didn’t expect. Sometimes after tense cases, I think the lawyers and judge get more release with Frankie being there. She has no lack of petting on any day.
How would you describe your therapy dog, both on the job and at home?
Frankie is involved in many Animal Kennel Club events, so most days there is a period of training, running around on the farm, and swimming in the lake. On the job, she loves everybody and greets everybody with a vigorous wagging tail! I have seen her take a defendant who had already got up and left the court twice and settle them down in ten seconds.
How do people generally respond to her?
A smile almost immediately comes on their face as she greets them, and the calming factor is almost palpable.
What does Frankie do when she is not working?
Frankie’s whole name is GCH CH Glacier's Luck Be A Lady CDX BN GN RM2 RAE3 JH DCAT CGC TKN FITB FTN NA/1. She is a Grand Champion Conformation Dog, Rally, Obedience, Fastcat, Trick Dog, Fetch, and Hunting Dog title holder amongst other titles. We work as a team for all these activities and dabble with others, which brings us very close. Having trained for a while as a Search and Rescue Dog, helping others is also high on our list.
Why do you think the courthouse therapy dog program is important?
Court can be a very volatile undertaking. The calmer everyone is, the more likely a fair outcome will occur. Frankie does wonders reducing tensions within this construct.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Coming out of juvenile court, you find much that is disturbing and somewhat off-putting but being able to help put a smile on the faces of the people involved and to remove the fear some have in these situations makes it more than worthwhile.