WRITTEN BY: Bill Snyder
Appearing in a court case would be intimidating for anyone, but it’s magnitudes harder when the person is a child. In Rogers County, victims
who have to testify, or are otherwise going through a difficult situation, have someone to lean on. Her name is Jerzy the court dog.
Jerzy the court dog is a 5-year-old Aussiedoodle that comforts children at the Rogers, Mayes and Craig County Courthouses. Her handler is Mindie Baab, a court reporter of nearly 30 years who adopted Jerzy when she was 10 months old. She says that the program had an immediate impact when it began in 2014.
“We had a child who was 6 years old that had to talk to the investigators about the most horrendous things that you can even imagine a child having to talk about—all at the hands of her parents,” Baab says. “Jerzy was sitting next to her, and the little girl started crying as she’s trying to tell these embarrassing things
to the investigators. Jerzy got up and put her paws on the little girl’s legs and started licking her tears. The little girl grabbed Jerzy around the neck and hugged her and started crying and said, ‘This is the best day of my life!’
“So she’s talking about something horrendous and unspeakable, but a dog showing her compassion in that scary moment, when she’s having to talk to these investigators, turned it all around to where she felt like she wasn’t alone.”
That would become the first, but far from the last, time Jerzy was there for someone who needed her.
Based at the Rogers County Courthouse, the program started in 2014 following a change in state statutes that allowed therapy dogs into courtrooms. Baab says that the presence of a therapy dog offers a sense of comfort to the youngest victims and others called to testify in court.
As a court reporter, I sit front row, and I watched children for years having to testify,” she says. “Oftentimes, when they testify, they can’t have their parent in the courtroom because their parent is either the reason that they’re there, or their parent is also going to be a witness so they can’t sit with the child when they’re testifying.”
As soon as the statute changed in 2014, Baab began advocating for a therapy dog program in Rogers County. She worked with the district attorney’s office and district judges to found the program. It was agreed that Baab would be the dog’s handler, and she set to work searching for the perfect dog.
She chose an Aussiedoodle because they are hypoallergenic, and she felt its unique personality would be a good fit for the job. “They’re high energy dogs, but they’re also OK with just lying around,” she says.
Jerzy lives at Baab’s home and comes to work with her each day, where she has her own space in Baab’s office. She accompanies Baab while she fulfills her court reporting duties.
“If we have a kid that’s a victim of a crime, they’ll call me, and they’ll ask if Jerzy can come down,” Baab says. “Jerzy will sit with that child when he or she meets with the investigators, the district attorney’s office, and then she’ll follow that same child through the court process.”
Jerzy rarely lacks for attention. Courthouse personnel regularly drop by the office to visit Jerzy and pitch in with other duties like dog walking.
“Jerzy is here for kids, but she’s also been amazing for staff,” Baab says.
“This is extremely stressful, so there’s a lot of judges that when they get off the bench, they come and just love on Jerzy for a little while, attorneys too. They come out of a stressful hearing and love on Jerzy. So she’s not just here for kids that are victims of crime and other children that come in for other proceedings in our district, but she’s here for support staff and judges.”
Jerzy was adopted when she was 10 months old and began obedience training at Spirit Ranch in Tulsa. She had two years of intense training because Baab said she wanted her to be more than a therapy dog; she wanted Jerzy to be an emotional support dog.
Jerzy’s training included the skills to work with a diverse group of people and to become attuned to human emotions. Baab says that Jerzy can sense when a victim’s heart rate increases to offer support.
“What’s really cool about Jerzy is if a child becomes agitated or stressed, she will lean into them or give them her paw,” Baab says. “It lets a kid know that she’s there. Aussiedoodles are herding animals, and they don’t just herd physically; they can herd emotions too. It’s an innate thing for them, and I think that’s a natural response Jerzy has.”
Jerzy made case history when a judge ruled that she could accompany an 18-year-old witness in a murder trial. It was the first time a dog was allowed to accompany an adult to court. Baab says that she understands why anyone could be scared on the witness stand.
“It’s frightening even for adults,” she says. “I had to testify a few months ago because I witnessed something in my courtroom. I’m someone who has been in the courthouse for nearly 30 years, and when I got on that witness stand, testifying in front of the very person that I work for with my coworkers all around, I was still terrified. That right there shined a light on how scary this must be for kids.”
The program that brought Jerzy to the courthouse was so successful that Bear, a black Lab/Great Dane mix, joined the district attorney’s office. He performs duties similar to Jerzy and is handled by Community Outreach and Victim Services Coordinator Michelle Lowry. She says that child victims identify with Bear’s story, and it makes them feel more comfortable.
“He and his brother and sister were dumped on the side of the road,” Lowry says. “They’ve been chewed on by bigger dogs; they were malnourished. It works as a good story for kiddos because I tell them how somebody was really mean to Bear, but then just two or three nice people came and helped him. Now look how good his life is. So it’s like they can relate to that because somebody has been really mean to these kiddos, and, hopefully, they can feel safe.”
District Judge Sheila Condren called the dogs “an amazing resource for our courthouse.” She says that the animals bring a comforting and calming effect to child and adult victims of crime as well as the
courthouse employees who deal with very difficult situations on a daily basis.
“I have physically seen these children stand up taller as a weight is lifted off their shoulders when they walk into a courtroom with Jerzy or Bear by their side,” Assistant District Attorney Kali Strain says. “These children need comfort, peace, understanding and love as they testify about unspeakable crimes perpetrated upon them, and Jerzy and Bear provide that in a way no human could. To say Jerzy and Bear are assets to these children is an understatement—they play a vital role in getting justice for child victims.”
Jerzy serves outside of the courthouse as well. She and Baab are part of Tulsa International Airport’s Welcome Waggin’, visiting with people coming and going from the city. The duo maintains a busy schedule, meeting with a wide variety of child and adult organizations, including nursing homes. When needed, they comfort people or groups who are going through a tragedy, such as visiting a school when a student has died.
Baab says that people can contact Comfort Canines of Tulsa or the Alliance of Therapy Dogs for more information about therapy and emotional support dogs.
