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January 2017 Newsletter |
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Dogs at work: Courthouse facility dogs
The benefits of taking your dog to work
Dogs at work: Courthouse facility dogs
Courthouse facility dogs have been used in the USA since 2003 to help witnesses and victims of crime, including children, during legal proceedings. Having a dog present provides support and reduces the stress and anxiety for those testifying, therefore encouraging people to give evidence.
Courthouse facility dogs are accredited assistance dogs which have been expertly trained and are handled only by professionals in the legal sector (e.g. social workers, law enforcement officers) so as to ensure confidentiality within cases. The most popular breeds of dog used are Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, or a cross between the two.
Some examples of the specific type of work that Courthouse facility dogs do include the following: promoting calm during proceedings and in court to those with drug withdrawal or with disabilities, providing comfort to the families of murder victims at trial and sentencing, accompanying a child during various stages of an investigation in which the child provides details of a crime committed against them, and accompanying vulnerable adults whom are victims of crime in court proceedings.
The training of Courthouse facility dogs is carried out by organizations which are members of Assistance Dogs International. The first eighteen months of the dog’s life is spent with a volunteer who takes the dog to obedience classes each week. A professional trainer then works with the dog for around six months. During the dog’s training, their temperament is assessed for suitability to the role of a Courthouse facility dog. Dogs need to be able to be handled by different people, and tolerate a variety of individuals and behaviours. They also need to know when to engage with people, and when not to. When the dogs are not working, they live with their main handler as a pet.
Courthouse facility dogs are not only found in the USA; the use of therapy dogs in court has spread to other countries internationally, including the UK. For more information about Courthouse facility dogs in the USA, please click here.
The benefits of taking your dog to work
Some companies allow their employee’s dogs to come to work with them. Are there any benefits to companies that allow dogs in the workplace, or are dogs likely to cause too many distractions? Some places of work may not be suitable for dogs, but there are many that could find that having dogs around makes a positive difference.
Companies (for example, Purina, the pet food brand owned by Nestlé) have found that the work atmosphere is more sociable and has a warmer ambiance since allowing their staff to bring their dogs to work. Stroking a dog is known to reduce blood pressure, so dogs can lessen stress levels amongst employees, helping them to relax and deal with stressful situations better. Since there is a genuine interest in each other’s dogs, and people are seen to be more approachable and friendly if there is a dog there, employees from different parts of the company also begin to speak to each other when they might not have before (dogs are known to be great ice-breakers!).
Several employees have reported that because they are now able to have a dog (as they can take them to work), their health has improved through an increase in activity from walking the dog. Allergy suffers have also benefitted as the workplace is deep cleaned more regularly. For those working alone, having a dog at work is a huge advantage as dogs provide much needed company and help reduce feelings of loneliness.
There have been some reports of difficulties encountered when having a dog at work, however. These problems can include aggressive behaviour of some dogs towards each other, or to visitors to the company (e.g. growling or barking), and some dogs have been known to raid the bin! That said, companies often put rules in place to stop these problems. For example, there are places in the building where dogs are not allowed (such as the kitchen or some meeting rooms).
Lots of advantages have been identified by companies who allow their employees to bring their dog to work where suitable, yet there are still relatively few businesses that are letting their staff’s dogs join them at work. For more information and examples of dog friendly work environments, please click here.
Adult dogs usually have 42 teeth – twelve incisors (the small sharp teeth at the front of the jaw and skull), four canine teeth (the large pointed teeth at the side of the front of each jaw and skull), and twenty-six molars (the teeth at the back of the jaw and skull). Dogs can occasionally break their teeth, either when trying to catch or pick up a solid object, or more commonly, following an accidental blow to the face. Teeth have a cavity (pulp cavity) within them which contains a nerve and blood supply, so damage to the tooth structure can cause both pain and loss of viability of the tooth.
Any trauma can cause a tooth to break, although often they are associated with fractures of the bones (the jaw or skull) in which they are located. Most commonly dogs will traumatise the crown of the tooth (the part which is visible above the gum line), leaving its root firmly attached to the underlying bone. Occasionally teeth can be pulled out of their socket completely, although usually this is because there is some pre-existing dental disease which has loosened the tooth, or because the bone in which the tooth is sat in is broken or diseased. A full assessment of broken teeth may require an X-ray or CT scan to look at both the structure of the damaged tooth, and the underlying bone.
Broken teeth can be repaired, and even filled, in some circumstances in dogs. In most cases however, broken teeth are removed, either because the tooth is too severely damaged to repair, or because it is much cheaper to extract it, or because the expertise required to repair the tooth is not available. One of the most common reasons for teeth being damaged in dogs is because they have been allowed to carry or chew stones, so if you dog does this, it’s a good habit to get them out of if you like their teeth!
Congratulations to December’s prize winners! The following Dogslife members have each won £10 of Pets at Home vouchers: Mr T from Gloucestershire, Mr G from Kent, Mrs L from Berkshire, Mrs G from Hampshire, Mrs M from Buckinghamshire, Mr B from Norfolk, Mrs S from London, Mrs M from Ayrshire, Mrs A from Dorset, Ms M from East Yorkshire. We hope you enjoy spending the vouchers on your pet!
Don’t worry if you haven’t won a prize this time; the next time you login at www.dogslife.ac.uk and update your dog’s record, you will automatically be entered into the next prize draw which takes place in March.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support Dogslife. We are very grateful for your help with the study. To read about Dogslife’s findings so far, please click here: http://www.dogslife.ac.uk/research.
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk and update your dog's record!
