Justice Facility Dogs in Georgia
Barrow County District Attorney, Winder (CCI)
Facility dog Fievel, trained by Canine Companions
Appellate Court Decision
Jones v. State (2020)
,___ S.E.2d ___, 2020 WL _______ 9. (Ga. Ct. App. filed March 13, 2020),
Full text of the opinion here.
The defendant was charged with several counts of sodomy. One of the young adult victims suffered from severe PTSD as a result of the defendant’s actions and acquired his dog to calm him when stressed. The court allowed this victim to bring his dog into the witness box when he testified. Steps were taken to conceal the dog from the jury. The defendant asserted that the trial court erred by allowing, upon request of the prosecution, a dog to accompany a victim with post-traumatic stress disorder when he testified.
Note- The appellate court stated that:
- Georgia has long recognized that “a trial court is vested with considerable discretion in its conduct of court proceedings. This considerable discretion includes the discretion to make reasonable accommodations for the comfort and care of witnesses with special needs.” (emphasis added)
- “Moreover, Jones has failed to show that he was harmed by the trial court’s decision. Given the procedures the trial court followed to minimize the dog’s presence, we cannot assume that the dog had any impact on the jurors, much less that it engendered sympathy in them for O. Y. ) (8) Jones assumes that the dog generated sympathy without any evidence in support and contrary to the fact that some people fear or dislike animals
ADI Accredited Organizations
The following organizations place facility dogs in the state of Georgia. Please visit their websites to find out more about each organization.
ADW – Assistance Dogs of the West
CCI – Canine Companions for Independence