Justice Facility Dogs in Florida
Denise Conus
Florida State Coordinator
Justice Facility Dogs US
These agencies have professional handlers working with certified facility dogs in Florida.
Guardian ad Litem Program of Hillsborough County, Tampa – 2 dogs (CCI)
Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Panama City (CCI)
Kids House Wayne Densch Children’s Advocacy Center, Sanford (CCI)
Facility dog Tibet, trained by Canine Companions
Appellate Court Decision
Leigh v State
58 So. 3d 396
Full text of the opinion here.
“Furthermore, the jury was aware of the presence of a dog in the courtroom because, on more than one occasion, the presiding judge, the Honorable Susan Lebow, had to correct her dog, which was whining and barking, and on more than one occasion, the dog put its front paws on the swing door that separated it from the courtroom where the judge was presiding, suggesting to the jury that the dog was present for the safety of the court, unnecessarily marking Defendant as a dangerous character”.
Appellate Court’s decision
Philip Leigh (Defendant) appeals from an order summarily denying his motion for postconviction relief. Following a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy to traffic. Defendant claimed his trial counsel was ineffective for allowing him to appear in a leg restraint and for failing to object to the presence of a dog. Apparently, the dog became disruptive on more than one occasion and was visible to the judge and jury. The Florida appellate court reversed and remanded, with a provision that the trial court could attach portions of the record that would refute the possibility that defense counsel’s failure to object to the dog’s presence indicated ineffective assistance of counsel. Since there was apparently no evidence of the dog’s presence in the record at all, the trial court was presumably obligated to conduct an evidentiary hearing on the matter.
ADI Accredited Organizations
The following organizations place facility dogs in the state of Florida. Please visit their websites to find out more about each organization.
ADW – Assistance Dogs of the West