April, 2017
Page 7
Features
Changing the World One Dog at a Time
By Abbie Brown, Reporter
H
ave you ever walked by a service dog and felt that horrible pang as you remind yourself harshly that you can’t pet that sweet animal with the wagging tail? Those deep puppy eyes seem to stare straight into your very soul, knowing you perhaps even before you know yourself. The Grand Junction District Attorney’s office realized this connection that dogs can have with people and acted on it with Tilly: our city’s new facility dog. So what exactly is a facility dog? You’ll be delighted to know that Tilly is the rare exception to service dogs around the world. Because unlike seeing-eye dogs, Tilly is there for the sole purpose of being pet by a long string of loving admirers. Her job is to accompany victims of child sex assault on their journey through the terrifying mess that is our legal system. Court can be a very scary thing for anybody, especially children, and just having a dog beside you to stroke takes just a little bit of fear out of the whole ordeal. It was arranged that Tilly would partner with Western Slope Center for Children and attend all of the children’s forensic interviews to bond with the young victims. Tilly would then accompany each child through Court as their loyal companion. Tilly’s task is an admirable one: helping the children of our community and abroad simply by being there with them through everything. Loyal and omnipresent even when they are apart.
Photo by Abbie Brown
practically inseparable. As Raley says, “From then on…we’ve been attached.” Because Tilly is not owned di-
“...Tilly is there for the sole purpose of being pet by a long string of loving admirers.”
Tilly was raised and trained by the Canine Companions for Independence organization in California to serve her purpose as a Yellow Labrador facility dog. She was partnered with her handler, Kathi Raley, just last year, and the two are
rectly by Raley herself, Tilly has a complicated set of instructions that must be followed exactly in order for Raley to keep her. Some of these include brushing Tilly’s teeth every day, keeping her vaccines up to date, practicing her specific commands and training every day, giving Tilly a bath ev-
Tilly, the facility dog, posing for a picture.
ery other week, and participating in a test ensuring that Tilly and Raley can both continue serving their community. When I arrived to interview Raley, Tilly had in fact just gotten back from a well-deserved “spa day” in celebration of their one year anniversary. She has been employed on the Grand Junction District Attorney’s team for a year now, making this time of year something special. Raley explains their bond saying, “This is a job for her. So it’s my responsibility even to make sure she goes to bed at a certain time. So it’s just like she’s a child.” Tilly relies on Raley for everything, even coming into the bathroom at a certain time every day
in preparation for her daily tooth brushing. It’s something like this friendship between Raley and Tilly that makes Court seem just a little bit easier.
unable to revisit the horrors that had been done to her for the sake of testimony. Her next trial, a little while later, was completely different. This time Raley brought Tilly with her, and the judge even permitted Tilly to sit quietly at the witness stand next to the little girl. Raley speaks of the event proudly, a defining moment for both dog and girl, “It was like a totally different person. She walked up there like she knew what she was there for and how to do this, and this will be Tilly’s legacy.” Since then, Tilly has journeyed to schools with Raley to deliver speeches as well as serve as the office’s stress reliever. Raley recounts the multiple times attorneys have come in to sit with Tilly, take her out for a walk, or throw the ball for her simply because they need their “Tilly time.” In the stressful work environment that is the county courthouse, attorneys are dealing with awful cases every day, and the chance to just go pet a dog for a while is more than appealing. “It’s impactful for me just to know what she’s doing… and that I’m a part of that,” Raley tells me of her loyal partner. “She’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it. I wouldn’t trade her for the world.” Tilly’s impact on our community has left a lasting image in our eyes and a forever paw print on our hearts. Her task, though not an easy one, she performs with gentleness and trust so that every child can feel safe. Her presence in the courtroom brings a reassuring light, and her efforts in schools across the valley are not forgotten. As part
“Tilly’s task is an admirable one: helping the children of our community and abroad simply by being there with them through everything.”
But the impact Tilly has on her community is well worth the countless hours spent training. Her first case involved that of a young girl who was a victim of child sex assault. On her first trial, the girl had trouble speaking. She was scared, unsure, and
of the Grand Valley community, allow me to give a huge thanks to both Tilly and Kathi Raley for their heroic work on the front lines of the legal system.