SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Meet Bear, a six-year-old black lab who lives in Northern California. Spot him around his neighborhood in Martinez, a small city in the Bay Area, and he may look like just another friendly pooch ready to run across lawns and make friends.
When at work in the Contra Costa County courthouse, though, Bear is all business. A certified courthouse dog — one of only a handful in the country — Bear has spent years working with children everywhere from family courtrooms to medical facilities.
Even in court, after all, there’s a place for very good dogs: at the side of a child who needs comfort as they testify.
Bear learned his skills at Canine Companions, an organization that breeds and trains service dogs. While often used by individuals with disabilities, government bodies like Contra Costa County also occasionally apply to acquire the dogs to accompany and calm people as they navigate through stressful government systems.
Bear is specially trained to comfort witnesses and victims, typically children, as they navigate what can be extremely stressful legal proceedings. Like his handler, Janet Wright, he technically works for Contra Costa County.
A day at work for Bear could mean meeting victims, including children, during stressful police interviews and legal depositions. It’s his job to emotionally support each client, whether by handing a child toys and puzzle pieces or simply laying quietly at their feet to calm them. He’s currently the only one at this job — and it can be a busy one.
When not on call, the black Labrador spends his work days at the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office, where he practices commands or roams through the halls in search of friends. Off duty, he enjoys apples, carrots and playtime. He lives with Wright and her family in Martinez.
It takes years to train a dog like Bear, colloquially known as “court dogs,” and prepare them for the courtroom. While dogs like Bear can provide a huge service to traumatized children, it's usually up to officials at the county level to decide if they have the ability to handle, train and house them.
Wright, who has been paired with Bear since 2019, said that in the years since, she’s seen the impact his calming presence has had in juvenile court. As children gather strength to answer questions from lawyers and judges, they will often first whisper answers to him in court, she said.
Bear, she says, is particularly adept at sensing emotions and can soothe panic attacks. “He’s very relaxed [and] very calm — he knows his job at this point,” she added. “I don’t have to direct him when he’s in a courtroom, and when I hand over the leash, he just kind of knows.”
Back at home, it's a different story. Bear is a goofball, she said, full of attitude and always ready to run and play.
“Please don’t be fooled by him,” she laughed, motioning at Bear as he lay calmly at her feet during an interview at the DA’s office. “He’s a complete clown. He has an attitude most of the time.”
While courthouse dogs are rare nationwide, Bear is not the only one in the Bay Area. In nearby San Francisco, longtime court dog Nemo — also a black lab — just retired this year after seven years working alongside his handler and houser Shelley Gottlieb.
Unlike Bear, who is a government employee, Nemo worked for the nonprofit San Francisco branch of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a national organization that helps support abused and neglected children in the legal system. Kate Durham, executive director at San Francisco’s local CASA, said dogs like Nemo can help make the process a little less scary for traumatized children.
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