By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Norene, the black lab trained to give comfort and courage to victims of crime, has been on the job now for a year with the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office.
On a recent workday, Norie, as she is better known to courthouse staff, started her morning with a meeting of the Child Sexual Abuse Task Force. With her tail wagging, she greeted law enforcement officers from around Wood County, then sprawled on the floor, undistracted by the box of doughnuts a couple feet away.
“We prosecute the worst things people do to each other,” Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson said last year when introducing Norie to her new co-workers at the courthouse. To find justice, crime victims often have to share details that are “painful, personal and sometimes in excruciating detail.”
That’s where a wet nose, wagging tail, and big brown eyes can help a crime victim endure the necessary but uncomfortable process. Norie sits in on initial meetings with victims and their families, during intense interviews, and during court proceedings.
Works her magic
When Norie returned to the office after the task force meeting, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chas McDonald shared that when Norie joined the staff, he wasn’t completely sold on the power of a “comfort dog.”
That has since changed.
“She’s magic,” McDonald said. “I was skeptical at first. But you see a kid who has something they don’t want to talk about, and they totally change when they see Norie.”
Rather than sharing their experiences with a stranger in a suit, children often open up to Norie instead.
“She can diffuse a very loaded situation. It’s the disarming nature of a dog,” he said.
Even with years of forensic training, McDonald can’t be the “trauma breaker” that Norie is. “She works her charms,” he said.
And it’s not just the child victims who respond to Norie’s wet nose and wagging tail, Dobson said.
“The biggest pleasant surprise is how effective she is at helping adults through the process,” he said.
It’s difficult for prosecuting attorneys to be objective questioners and comforters at the same time, he said.
“We’re not meeting people at the best time in their lives,” but Norie can provide comfort and a distraction, Dobson said.
“I think back to all the cases I wish we would have had Norie there,” he said.
Courtroom duty
Norie’s next job on this particular day was to accompany Victims Services Director Becca Von Sacken to a Wood County Common Pleas Court for a little practice. As they leave the prosecutor’s office, Von Sacken moves magnets to show that she and Norie will be out of the office for a bit.
Getting to the third floor courtrooms in the historic courthouse has required Norie to overcome some fears of her own. Originally, she had difficulty navigating the narrow staircase often used by employees.
And initially, she was afraid of the courthouse’s small elevator, said Annie Wilson, Norie’s primary handler and housemate. But staff helped her overcome that nervousness by “throwing a party” for her every time she exited the elevator, Wilson said.
Once in Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matthew Reger’s courtroom, at the instruction of Von Sacken, Norie laid down on the witness stand next to a court employee. There she stayed silently throughout the proceedings.
In many cases, Norie joins victims in the witness boxes prior to the start of proceedings. Staff want to ensure that Norie’s presence doesn’t make a jury sympathetic toward a victim.
“She has to be not seen and not heard in the courtrooms,” Dobson said.
In one case involving a business owner testifying against a former employee who had stolen his life savings, Von Sacken said Norie could sense the victim’s nervousness. After the man’s smart watch kept going off due to his escalated heart rate, Norie moved closer to sit between the man’s legs.
“You could see his distress melt away,” and his watch stop alerting, Von Sacken said.
In another case, Norie laid in the witness box next to a child victim for 90 minutes.
“She’s good at reading what people need,” Wilson said.
Back at the office
When Von Sacken and Norie return to the prosecutor’s office, Norie heads to the office she shares with Wilson. There she is surrounded by dog toys and a cushy bed. Wilson takes off Norie’s working vest, which allows the courthouse canine to decompress.
“She knows when she has the vest off that she’s off duty,” Wilson said.
While Norie may curl up on her bed, she remains watchful.
“She naps with one eye open. She does not want to miss anything,” Wilson said. “She really does have a work ethic.”
The 3-year-old, 60-pound lab was trained by the Ability Center of Greater Toledo, through a program set up in a prison.
Norene’s primary handler is Annie Wilson, administrative director in the prosecutor’s office. Trained as secondary handlers are Dobson, Von Sacken, and Civic Division Chief James Hoppenjans.
No taxpayer money is being used for the facility dog program, Dobson pointed out when she was hired. Norie’s training was paid for through donations to the Ability Center. The funds to train prosecutor office staff, and provide care for Norene are from a law enforcement trust from criminal forfeited funds.
Norie recognizes 40 “cues” – not commands, Dobson stressed.
In addition to the basic “sit” and “down,” Norene knows when someone puts their palm up on their lap that she can rest her head there. If a person needs more, she can spread her front half like a lap blanket. If asked for a “hug,” Norie cozies up.
Norene has been trained to ignore distractions, endure distances, and withstand durations – whatever is needed. She never barks or yelps, Wilson said. She can bring tissues to someone in need (no guarantee it will be slobber free).
Wilson’s and Von Sacken’s pockets are laden each day with dog treats to reward Norie after a job well done.
“Many treats have gone through the laundry,” Von Sacken said.
The lab can also provide distraction when needed. When asked to be “pretty,” she sits on her hind legs. Say “crawl” and she wriggles across the floor. Say “leash” and she picks up her leash. During the press conference welcoming her, Dobson was careful to spell out r-o-l-l-o-v-e-r, lest he send Norene spiraling across the floor.
She has even been trained to play a strategic game of tic-tac-toe as an icebreaker with young victims. “That’s a humbling experience, to lose to a dog,” Wilson said with a smile.
Employees in the office have responded well to sharing their workplace with a dog, bringing smiles “just to hear her jingling down the hallway,” Von Sacken said.
Staff members often toss balls down the long hallways for Norie to chase. And she has charmed the non-dog people in the office, Wilson said. “She just loves people so much.”
“She’s won me over,” confessed Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brian Boos, as walked past Norie in the hallway.
And to make sure staff looks presentable in court, “we’ve invested in lint rollers in the office,” Wilson said.
Back on duty
In the afternoon, Norie was given another task of sitting in on a meeting with family members in an infant death case. When the meeting became very emotional, Norie sat next to the family members, offering comfort, Dobson said.
She has become a valuable member of the team, Dobson said.
The three Wood County Common Pleas Court judges agree that Norie provides a vital service.
“We’ve had victims of pretty despicable crimes that have a need for additional support,” Judge Joel Kuhlman said.
“The benefit of having Norie is it makes it easier for the victims to concentrate on Norie rather than be intimidated by the offender,” he said.
So far, Kuhlman said he has not heard any objections from defense attorneys about Norie’s presence in the courtroom.
“I think we’ve had some juries that don’t even know she’s there,” he said.
Judge Molly Mack said Norie will sometimes sit with victims in the courtroom galleries.
“She’s so disciplined. She’s a sweet dog,” Mack said. “It just releases tension.”
Judge Matt Reger said Norie has a calming influence in the courtroom.
“Who doesn’t love a dog,” he said.
