The “Comfort Dog” Runs Amok in the Courtroom
A woman came to court carrying a chiwawa “comfort dog.” Our security screeners are hesitant to turn bogus “comfort dogs” away because of liability under the American Disabilities Act. However, the screeners should have alerted my court bailiff and clerks that she was on her way to my courtroom. We were unaware of the puppy.
The woman was charged with several narcotics’ possession cases, and she had several prior narcotics convictions. We never noticed the chiwawa. When she left the courtroom before lunch, she forgot to take her indispensable comfort dog with her. (Case of: “this is your brain on drugs?”)
After the ninety-minute lunch recess, a member of the public alerted my clerks that there was a frightened chiwawa running amok in the courtroom. It took four of our burly and armed bailiffs to finally corral the little beast. One of our sergeants contacted a relative of the woman who picked up the dog.
Around 4:00 pm, after the courtroom doors were locked, the woman stood in the courthouse hallway, repeatedly banged on my courtroom doors, and screamed over and over again, “Open up! You stole my dog!”
(See: londonedition.net)
The London Edition 