R.A. still remembers the weight of the witness box as she testified for seven days against the man who trafficked her as a teenager.
She was about 15 when she first met her pimp. By 19, she’d managed to get away and into recovery, and began rebuilding her life. (CBC is not naming R.A. to protect her privacy.)
Years later, in 2021, she gave a statement to police about her former pimp’s ongoing activities trafficking young women. He was arrested the following year and put on trial in December 2023, the first time in seven years R.A. had seen him.
It was around then that she met Kaboom the greyhound, a courthouse therapy dog. R.A. said the animal’s gentle presence was more than a comfort: it was a lifeline during an emotionally punishing process.
“It’s kind of grounding,” she said. “You have that little option to pet this dog, just reach out and know it’s there, or feel its weight on your feet.”
The trial felt long and tedious, and at times she was so frustrated by the defence lawyers that she felt like she “might snap.” But stepping out for a walk with Kaboom kept her steady until the day she saw her former abuser convicted.
The therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers are from Just Paws, a support service working in schools, hospitals, care homes and the city’s court system.
They aim to help calm victims, witnesses and other participants in the court process, some of whom are experiencing the most difficult days of their lives.
At the courthouse, the therapy dogs accompany victims and witnesses from their first meetings with prosecutors all the way through to trial, a process that can sometimes stretch over years.
Handlers like Sylvia Nicholson bring their dogs into waiting areas, meeting rooms and sometimes right into the courtroom.
Nicholson, a semi-retired veterinarian, started volunteering with Just Paws after she was in a major accident 12 years ago. She spent four and a half months recovering in hospital where she received the support of therapy animals.
Her own labradoodle Henry passed a strict three-hour exam to become certified for the courthouse. Only a handful of dogs are certified to sit in on trials.
Nicholson says Henry’s effect on people is evident from the moment he arrives at the courthouse.
“Most people … start smiling as soon as they see him,” she said. “It calms people down when they’re very stressed, very nervous about testifying.”
Youth mental health court is another regular stop. Handler Marie Nadeau brings her golden retriever Alys to sit with the young people, many of whom have never been inside a courtroom.
“They’re stressed. They don’t know what the judge is going to say,” Nadeau said.
Alys will sit down beside them, nudge them or rest a paw on their leg.
“It changes the mindset the child has,” Nadeau said.
Some of the dogs also work at Ottawa’s drug treatment court where participants appear weekly to discuss their progress. Here, the animals wander inside and outside the courtroom, comforting attendees.
Handler Nancy Truss has worked with therapy dogs for more than two decades. Her golden retriever Crush is known for wanting to be in constant human contact. In drug court, people often place a hand on the dog as they speak to the judge — a small gesture to soften an intimidating ritual.
“The biggest thing was unconditional love,” said Truss. “The dogs don’t care what you look like — they just want you to pet them and love them, and they love you right back.”
For Michal Judge, a participant who has struggled with addiction for much of his life, the dogs help lighten the heaviness of a courtroom.
“It totally breaks down that feeling of heavy anxiety that the courtroom creates,” he said. “It brings everybody together, in a sense.”
Susan Howe, who brings her golden setter Woody to the courthouse, describes the service as a “bridge over troubled water” for many people at the courthouse.
Witnesses can’t touch their supporters while testifying, but they can reach down to pat the dog beside them — a small act of connection on what be the worst day of their life.
For those leading investigations, like Ottawa police Const. Alistair Donaghy, the benefit is clear: calmer witnesses mean clearer testimony.
“Any way that we can lower the stress … is key,” he said.
As the holiday season arrives — a time when the atmosphere inside courts, care homes and hospitals can feel especially heavy — the handlers say they and their dogs will continue offering these moments of calm, comfort and connection.
“If you’ve put a smile on someone’s face, you’ve done your job right,” Truss said.
