<p>Prosecutor’s office employees tried everything they could think of to make the victim feel at ease talking about the crime committed against her.</p>
<p>But the victim was tired of reliving what happened to her. Prosecutors needed her testimony to bring her abuser to justice. As a last ditch effort, a mild-mannered dog was brought into the interview room to try and calm her down.</p>
<p>The victim’s demeanor immediately changed. She began answering questions while playing with the dog and agreed to take the stand in court, all thanks to Nanook, a trained therapy dog, said Ryan Bland, a deputy prosecutor who focuses on crimes against children.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>Just knowing the dog was there and that she could be with the dog after her testimony was enough to get her to take the stand in the courtroom, he said.</p>
<p>Bland’s assistant had already been researching the benefits of a therapy dog, but the help received from the mild-mannered, untrained dog convinced prosecutor’s office employees that they needed their own dog that could help calm victims who had experienced trauma, Bland said.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2017, the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office took custody of Nanook, affectionately called “Nook,” by the employees of the prosecutor’s office. Since then, he has calmed an elderly couple who were duct taped to chairs in their home and robbed at gunpoint, as well as countless other victims of child molestation, battery and abuse as they told their stories during interviews or to a judge and jury.</p>
<p>The Golden Retriever and Labrador mix is a specially trained dog who provides comfort to victims of crimes, and in some cases, convinces them to open up during interviews and gives them the courage to testify in court.</p>
<p>In 2019, more than 170 interviews were conducted at the Child Advocacy Center, located at the prosecutor’s office, and Nanook was part of a lot of them, Bland said.</p>
<p>Nanook cost more than $1,000 through the Indiana Canine Assistance Network, according to Daily Journal archives. The prosecutor’s office budgets about $2,500 a year for Nanook’s care, but has yet to spend that much on his food and veterinary services. The office has also been receiving an annual $500 grant from the Johnson County Community Foundation to help pay for his care, said Joe Villanueva, Johnson County Prosecutor.</p>
<p>The Indiana Canine Assistance Network trains dogs to be service dogs. Initially, Nanook was destined to to be a guide dog, but his blind handler ended up having allergies and couldn’t keep him. So Nanook went through training again to be used as a service dog to comfort people going through stressful situations, Bland said.</p>
<p>When a local law enforcement agency or the Indiana Department of Child Services needs to conduct an interview at the Child Advocacy Center, Nanook is available to calm and comfort a victim. While the dog is primarily used for cases involving children, Nanook is available to adult victims as well, Bland said.</p>
<p>“There hasn’t been one victim that has come in that has shied away from Nook,” he said.</p>
<p>Bland went through two weeks of training to prepare to receive Nanook. Bland learned the commands that would help dictate Nanook’s behavior, such as where to sit and stand in court, and commands that implore the dog to give hugs and handshakes when appropriate, Bland said.</p>
<p>He saw the benefits a therapy dog could bring to the prosecutor’s office, so he agreed to be his keeper. Nanook lives with the Bland family when he is not on duty at the prosecutor’s office, and behaves as such once his work vest comes off, Bland said.</p>
<p>“Without his vest on, you will have no idea he is trained. (He is) like the next dog,” he said.</p>
<p>When Bland reads to his son, Nanook often joins, nuzzling up with them and listening intently. He enjoys playing fetch and gallivanting in the snow. Bland takes Nanook to the store; going up and down the grocery aisles is one of the dog’s favorite pastimes, Bland said.</p>
<p>When Nanook comes into work — the Child Advocacy Center or a courtroom — his focus is on his clients. When crime victims meet Nanook, their whole demeanor changes, Bland said.</p>
<p>“You can see the different in her ability to speak about it and to get through the trial and see justice served. It has to be an immeasurable part of their mental health,” he said.</p>
<p>“Nook brings a bright spot to them and helps them get through it.”</p>
<p>Now, 2 1/2 years after Nanook first came to the prosecutor’s office, he is an invaluable asset to the community, Bland said.</p>
<p>“It has been well worth it and he is a valued member of the office, as well as my family,” he said.</p>
