RIP to Odie, a courthouse service dog who helped hundreds of crime victims.

The first service dog trained to provide victims' services by the Monterey County District Attorney, a black Labrador named Odie, died on Tuesday, May 20 after 11 years working for the agency. She was healthy until the end of her life when she developed bone cancer.

Odie, whose full name was Odile the Black Swan (after a character in Swan Lake), came to the DA's Office in November 2014 from the nonprofit Canine Companions that trains service dogs and their handlers. 

Chief District Attorney Investigator Ryan McGuirk had arrived at a point in his law enforcement career where he felt like he'd done it all—been a detective, a patrol officer, a sergeant, served on a SWAT team. "Having a canine is the only thing that I hadn't done," McGuirk says. "The idea that I could have a canine to help people—not to utilize in a search or apprehension, but just a sweet dog for victims—it checked every box anyone could imagine for advocacy in law enforcement." 

Then-DA Dean Flippo had heard about the initiative while attending a national conference, and brought back the suggestion to his management team. McGuirk quickly applied to be paired with a dog, then was on a waiting list for two years until he was matched with Odie and the human-canine pair was trained together by Canine Companions in Santa Rosa when Odie was about 18 months old. 

Odie knew more than 50 commands, most importantly "Visit." That prompted her to approach a survivor of a crime or a family member to comfort them with her presence—letting them pet her with a hand or foot, placing her face on their lap, or just calmly sitting by their side.

"Without fail, she would always go to the most stressed person in the room," McGuirk says.

He and Victim Services Manager Alma Sanchez were responsible for handling Odie during working hours, and the dog would assist a range of people at different phases of their case. She could allow victims to cuddle her during interviews with DA investigators, for example, or during conversations with attorneys about updates in an appeal that may result in a convicted killer of a loved one being freed. In most instances, whether in the DA's office or in court, crime victims are revisiting the worst thing that ever happened to them, and a dog trained to comfort them could help them testify under a tough cross-examination, or complete an interview about horrific details. She was trained to recognize stress and approach, and gently place her head on a trembling leg.

"I have done a lot of child forensic interviews," McGuirk says. "I can't reach out and touch them, or let them cry on my shoulder—but a dog could."

Odie supported over 1,000 victims of crime in Monterey County. 

Her work was largely invisible to the public. When she worked in the courthouse, she was mostly admitted during a break and seated under the witness stand, where the jury couldn't see her. (This is to avoid creating a bias for jurors who might be inclined to like dogs.) She would let witnesses put their feet on her and squish her throughout sometimes hours in the courtroom, with no break for water or treats, and she never barked or snored or gave away her presence.

McGuirk says she was most successful working with children, but could provide support to anyone who asked, including adult victims. "She went into court with a gang member who was shot that was scared to testify—she didn't discriminate," he says.

Odie could also even help get a suspect to talk. If investigators couldn't get any responses, McGuirk says, the dog's presence could be a game-changer.

Because of Odie's success in the DA's Office and in Monterey County Superior Court, they already applied for and received a successor dog from Canine Companions, Norma Jeane, who for about two years has lived with McGuirk and spent most of her days working with Sanchez. (Norma Jeane joins three cats and two other dogs at McGuirk's place.) 

Another victims' advocate is the handler to another working dog, Armani. Namaste, the second courthouse facilities dog to come to the Monterey County DA, retired with her handler, Pam Patterson, in 2022.

Collectively, these dogs have served thousands of survivors of crime and their family members in Monterey County. 

In one unsigned letter released by the DA, a survivor wrote: “Dear Odie, I enjoy spending time with you. When you were with me today at trial, I felt really calmed & secured. I was less nervous than I expected to be. Thank you for being with me today. Hope to see you again.”