Service dogs trained through Canine Companions work for the District Attorney’s Office, helping victims of crime.

EVEN AFTER THE IMMEDIATE TRAUMA OF VIOLENCE HAS PASSED, being a victim of a crime can be a lonely place. They may be asked to tell their story over and over again – to police, to prosecutors and in a court of law in front of a jury, and the accused.

To help with the stress and anxiety many victims feel, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office has two canines on staff: Armani and Norma Jeane.

Armani, a 3-year-old yellow lab, and Norma Jeane, a 5-year-old yellow lab, might look like pets, but they are working dogs. The trained service dogs have been certified by the Canine Companions for Independence program. The national nonprofit organization provides trained service dogs to institutions like courts and health care facilities, and to people with disabilities or veterans.

At the Monterey County DA, they comfort victims or witnesses in the office, and even can gain access, with a judge’s approval, to lie under the witness stand during testimony in a trial. A witness may place their feet on or under the animal for comfort, and the dog is trained to stay totally still and silent – no barking or growling gives their presence away to the jury.

In 2010, then-District Attorney Dean Flippo attended a national conference that discussed the idea of bringing canines into courts to help victims, and he suggested starting the program locally.

Ryan McGuirk, now chief district attorney investigator, 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.”

The Weekly documented some of the work these dogs do while honoring the confidentiality of victims they serve in the photo essay that runs throughout these pages.

Before McGuirk was paired with a dog, he applied to Canine Companions, based in Santa Rosa, then spent two years on a waiting list. (The nonprofit provides a fully trained dog – and training to the human handler – free of charge.) McGuirk was then paired with 18-month-old Odie the Black Swan, and she arrived at the DA’s Office in November 2014.

Odie quickly proved her value, serving children and adults. An unidentified survivor wrote to the DA: “Dear Odie, you are the best service dog I ever knew. Thank you for being there for me. I will miss you, and I don’t want to leave you, but you have to help other girls and boys. I love you so much!”

After providing comfort to more than 1,000 victims of crime over 11 years, Odie died in May. Anticipating the desire to continue offering a service dog trained in victims’ services, McGuirk trained with another dog as Odie got older. In October 2022, he was matched with Norma Jeane.

Both the handler and the dog go through extensive training together, beginning with six months under supervision of a certified trainer, learning 50 to 60 commands to work in a public environment and to assist individuals in need. The command “Visit” prompts the dog to approach a survivor of a crime or a family member to comfort them – letting them pet her with a hand or foot, or just calmly sitting by their side. “Up” directs the dog to get up on the couch, and “Lap” to lie its head on the person’s lap.

After completing the essential introduction, the dog continues training, on average 15 minutes a day.

Armani reports to handlers Kristin Peterson, a victim advocate, and Nichole Reed, assistant to the DA, splitting her off-work time at home with them about 80/20 (at Reed’s, he shares the home with two older, small dogs).

Norma Jeane reports to McGuirk but mostly to Victim Services Manager Alma Sanchez. She lives at home with McGuirk – plus four cats, one of which was rescued from the DA’s Office parking lot, and two other dogs.

“When she puts on her work uniform and she changes her entire demeanor,” McGuirk says.

In the vest, she’s highly disciplined – after the command “Release” at the end of the day, “she is relaxed and playful and goofy, and sometimes won’t listen to me when she is playing with the other dogs in the yard. When she’s at home, she’s a pet. If I left a stuck of butter uncovered on the counter, she would eat it.”

Armani and Norma Jeane start their workday in the DA’s Office in Salinas with loving greetings for the staff, accompanied by a box full of toys and two large beds, as they wait for their time to shine if they are needed.

On one recent morning at office, survivors of crime arrive for their day in court, getting ready to walk over to Monterey County Superior Court. Norma Jeane is a little more energetic than Armani, but both comfort the victim while they wait to be called to the stand. Armani rushes into the room, tail wagging and quickly gets pets. Armani jumps onto the couch and gently rests his head on the victim’s leg while getting pets.

“The dogs help give support and comfort a human can’t,” McGuirk explains. “I can’t reach across the couch and hug or embrace a child victim, but Norma Jeane can rest her head on the child’s lap and give them the reassurance that another human can’t.”

The victims and witnesses the dogs interact with are confidential, and even the jury in a courtroom does not know they are there. The DA must file a motion with a judge to bring a service dog into the courtroom, and even then, the animal can only enter and exit out of sight of the jury (this is in order to avoid creating a bias among jurors who may like dogs).

In one recent sexual abuse case, a 16-year-old survivor identified as Jane Doe was called to the stand to testify against her grandmother’s boyfriend, who was accused of molesting her starting when she was 4 years old. In a motion to have a court facility dog accompany Jane Doe in the courtroom, Deputy District Attorney Daniel VanDamme wrote, “Jane Doe’s stress levels would be reduced which would allow her to communicate more effectively during the interrogation and create an efficient and effective ascertainment of the truth if either Norma Jeane or Armani is present during her testimony.

“Norma Jeane and Armani are highly trained and well-behaved and will sit or lie down calmly as the victim testifies.”

Whether someone is preparing to testify or is coming into the DA’s office to tell their story, Armani and Norma Jeane are there to comfort and support them.

The dogs can have a lasting effect. “Now we have kids wanting to come back and visit the dogs; it’s not a traumatic experience, but they are there to provide comfort and love through a cold, wet nose,” McGuirk says.

Sara Rubin contributed to the reporting for this story.