The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office now has a facility dog named “Bear,” trained by Canine Companions for Independence.
Bear will be helping victims of crime during all aspects of a criminal case, especially children. Bear was bred for optimal temperament to work with children and adults in courtrooms, public settings, and in facilities where stress levels are high.
Assistant Inspector Janet Era is Bear’s handler. Bear and Assistant Inspector Era are both certified by Assistance Dogs International. They both had to pass standardized practical tests and have continuous ongoing testing to keep their team certification current.
Earlier this year, Assistant Inspector Era applied for and was accepted by Canine Companions for Independence for a facility dog placement. She was trained by Canine Companions for Independence during an extensive and educational team training in Santa Rosa.
She was eventually paired with Bear based on her interactions with the dog and his interactions and responses to her during the training.
“The handler doesn’t pick the dog, the dog picks you. Being partnered with Bear has brought a sense of calm to the environment we work in. Observing the change he instantly makes in a victim’s life makes me grateful to be partnered with him,” said Assistant Inspector Era.
Bear is a highly trained facility dog. He is able to respond to over 40 commands and has already learned several of his commands in Spanish. He is 2 years old, and he works with victims and witnesses by providing unmatched emotional support during the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases.
Canine Companions for Independence provided Bear and the training at no cost. The cost of the training exceeded $50,000. Canine Companions for Independence has been training and placing dogs for nearly 44 years, totaling more than 6,000 placements with 230 of them to military veterans.
That’s nice. What a gorgeous portrait of Bear.
Bilingual at the age of two. Priceless…
good doggie
This is awesome – great job Bear! Keep up all the great work!
What a great program and what a handsome dog is Bear. He looks like he is very serious about his work. Good luck to him on his assignment.
…have never read about a dog with so many credentials as Bear has! Wishing him and his handler wonderful years of training, teamwork, and service!
When did America become so weak and pathetic? 20 years ago this story would have been considered a joke. Now the joke is on us. Dog people are the absolute worst.
nah, catlady is the worst.
Alan – I understand where you are coming from in that it’s not really news.
With that being said, I appreciate this article and the picture of bear. There hasn’t been a lot in the news lately that is uplifting or positive, and I would rather have this type of news article everyday instead of another mass shooting everyday. If I could give bear a hug and head scratches through the phone I would.
No, mass shooters are the absolute worst. This has nothing to do with weak and pathetic. It may have something to do with people void of empathy.
No Alan
Americans as a whole are not pathetic and weak. The pathetic & weak are negative people like you
Oh Alan…. So bitter and so angry. I know it’s difficult to keep up with the news since you have 17 cats but maybe you should be appreciative that there’s finally something happy and uplifting instead of all this Doom and gloom that we’ve been hearing everyday
No, Alan just 12 yr old troll peeps!
Bear’s favorite treats are apples and carrots. I had a lab that was almost six feet tall standing up. He would eat all our pears out of the tree…well at least six foot worth 🙂 I tend to love animals more than most people.
Simonpure, Now that’s funny!! Your story reminded me of my 80 pound Doberman friend, Daphne. She really liked to eat fruits and even cooked veggies, and at this time of year she would stand on her hind legs to delicately pluck blackberries from the vines when they were perfectly ripe. We had to get a ladder out if we wanted any to eat. There were always plenty of unripened berries within reach, just never any sweet ripe juicy ones.🙂
Wow! I could have used an emotional support dog (maybe a Doberman) when I was defending myself in Family Law Court against my ex.
I think there needs to be A LOT more dogs like this everywhere!! In classrooms too!! Dogs are the BEST they make the world better
Bear deserves a better place to work.
The Sunrise senior home where my mother lived had a resident dog, and the memory care area had a resident cat. Also, residents were allowed to have cats in their apartments.
Awesome addition to the DA’s office!
The first court comfort dog to appear in a NY state in a trial (child repeatedly raped by father starting at age 11) was a golden retriever named Rose. Defendant was found guilty. Defense appealed the case, using the argument that the dog was inherently prejudicial to the defendant. Lost the appeal.
Bear is more qualified than the current DA