www.montereycountynow.com DECEMBER 4-10, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 Even after the immediate trauma of violence has passed, being a victim of a crime can be a lonely place. They may be asked to tell their story over and over again—to police, to prosecutors and in a court of law in front of a jury, and the accused. To help with the stress and anxiety many victims feel, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office has two canines on staff: Armani and Norma Jeane. Armani, a 3-year-old yellow lab, and Norma Jeane, a 5-year-old yellow lab, might look like pets, but they are working dogs. The trained service dogs have been certified by the Canine Companions for Independence program. The national nonprofit organization provides trained service dogs to institutions like courts and health care facilities, and to people with disabilities or veterans. At the Monterey County DA, they comfort victims or witnesses in the office, and even can gain access, with a judge’s approval, to lie under the witness stand during testimony in a trial. A witness may place their feet on or under the animal for comfort, and the dog is trained to stay totally still and Armani provides emotional support to prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office, serving both victims and staff members. The therapy dogs train for approximately 15 minutes each day. Here, Armani practices picking up puzzle pieces, one of his favorite activities. silent—no barking or growling gives their presence away to the jury. In 2010, then-District Attorney Dean Flippo attended a national conference that discussed the idea of bringing canines into courts to help victims, and he suggested starting the program locally. Ryan McGuirk, now chief district attorney investigator, had arrived at a point in his law enforcement career where he felt like he’d done it all—been a detective, a patrol officer, a sergeant, served on a SWAT team. “Having a canine is the only thing that I hadn’t done,” McGuirk says. “The idea that I could have a canine to help people—not to utilize in a search or apprehension, but just a sweet dog for victims—it checked every box anyone could imagine for advocacy in law enforcement.”
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