SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ܂ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 ܂ 3B
Rescue dog comes to rescue of foster kids
Forward This
Capi Lynn
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Lilly Mae was destined to be a breeding dog at a
puppy mill until her heart murmur was discovered,
and then she was abandoned at a high-kill shelter.
Northwest Boxer Rescue saved her the day before
she was to be euthanized.
She spent six months in foster care until eventually
finding her forever home in Keizer.
The 2-year-old pooch has brought comfort and joy
to Shaney Starr and her husband, Greg, helping fill a
void in their hearts left by the passing of their boxer
Bubba and their Jack Russell terrier Ziggy.
But maybe Lilly Mae survived for another reason.
She’s about to become Oregon’s first canine court-
appointed special advocate, or CASA dog. She’ll soon
be providing comfort and joy to local foster children
going through child protective service hearings.
Shaney Starr, executive director of CASA of Marion
County, believes Lilly Mae has the perfect background
and temperament for this role. Like many of the chil-
dren she will provide support to, Lilly Mae has been
abused, neglected and abandoned.
“Lilly Mae’s story of her first two years is parallel to
so many of our kids in foster care,” Starr said. “She has
so much love she wants to give to people and her desire
to be loved on in return, along with her gentle demea-
nor, made me think this could work.”
Lilly Mae was “sworn in” by Marion County Circuit
Court Judge Cheryl Pellegrini on Thursday. The Judge
reportedly wrote a special pledge for the momentous
occasion, and Lilly Mae practicedraising her right paw.
She joins a team of 130 active volunteers who have
been screened and trained to serve an average of 600
abused and neglected children living in foster care in
Marion County.
CASA volunteers are the heart, soul, and con-
science of an underfunded and overburdened child
welfare system. They are appointed by a judge to ad-
vocate for the best interests of children and give them
each a voice in court.
A volunteer must be 21, have a passion for children
in the community, pass criminal background checks,
have good written and verbal communication skills, be
able to complete and maintain training, be available to
attend court hearings, and be willing to commit to the
program for at least two years.
Lilly Mae received special dispensation for a couple
of the requirements.
She has completed more than seven months of
training on her way to becoming an owner-trained as-
sistance dog. But it’s her gentle temperament and in-
nate ability to sense human emotions that make her
perfect for this assignment.
“She’s very sensitive to people’s emotions,” Starr
said. “She knows who needs love.”
When accompanying Starr to the CASA office in
Keizer, it’s not unusual for the 70-pound white boxer
with distinct brown markings around her eyes to sin-
gle out a CASA staffer who needs comfort most.
“Staff may have had something happen work relat-
ed or in their personal lives, and they needed some Lil-
ly May time,” Starr said. “She tunes in real well.”
Imagine her providing unconditional support to
abused and neglected children at the most trying time
of their lives. The hope is for Lilly Mae to help them
overcome any anxiety, tension, stress or fear they
might experience as they go through child welfare pro-
ceedings and are faced with making courtroom ap-
pearances.
She’s sure to win the hearts of not only foster kids,
but volunteers, courtroom staff, even the judge. In fact,
Child volunteers pet Lilly Mae as the rescued boxer
makes one more visit to a Marion County juvenile
courtroom Aug. 28 before her official swearing-in
ceremony on Thursday. KELLY JORDAN/STATESMAN JOURNAL
“Hopefully, Lilly Mae can be a positive
for the kiddos coming to court and
help bring a smile and some joy to an
otherwise pretty unpleasant
experience.”
Shaney Starr
Executive director of CASA of Marion County
she already has.
Lilly Mae and Judge Pellegrini, the presiding juve-
nile judge for the county, hit it off the first time they
met in July when the dog did her first training session
in a courtroom.
Starr needed the judge’s blessing before pursuing
the idea of deploying a CASA dog in court. Both women
discussed using a comfort dog as part of “what can we
do to get our kiddos to feel safe coming to court and not
cause more stress and anxiety on them.”
The plan was announced last December during a
CASA of Marion County luncheon, with Starr vowing
the program wouldn’t cost the organization a dime. A
donor covered about a third of the training costs, but
she and her husband paid for most of it, along with all
the other expenses that come with providing Lilly Mae
a forever home.
Lilly Mae is a lucky dog. She fancies her morning
walks at the neighborhood park and sitting on her flag-
stone patio and keeping watch over her yard.
She loves all types of treats, but her favorites are
mini Milk-Bones, which are only 5 calories each. She
has an ever-expanding collection of toys. Three new
ones arrive monthly in her BarkBox of goodies. She
prefers toys with squeakers.
She has to take medication with breakfast and din-
ner for her heart murmur, which disqualifies her from
being a full-fledged service dog.
She will need a handler with her at all times in the
courtroom, and that will be Starr. They started training
in January with the Joys of Living Assistance Dogs.
When founder and director Joy St. Peter did her ini-
tial temperament assessment and evaluation of Lilly
Mae, she described her as “calm as a cucumber.”
St. Peter said she looks for signs in a prospective
assistance dog showing that he or she is not only sen-
sitive to people’s emotions but capable of handling
them.
“She shows all of the tendencies of being able to
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handle the stress of the job,” St. Peter said.
Lilly Mae’s first visit to the courtroom was a walk in
the park. She spotted a squirrel moments before enter-
ing the building, but it didn’t distract her from her mis-
sion. One of the guards at the security gate patted her
down around her collar and leash. Lilly Mae didn’t
flinch.
After being fawned over by Judge Pellegrini’s staff,
St. Peter discussed with Starr the best placement for
Lilly Mae during court proceedings. The dog will sit
alongside a child in the courtroom. She may even put
her chin on the child’s leg. Starr, as Lilly Mae’s handler,
will be seated next to the child as well.
Once Lilly May is sworn in and officially placed “in
service,” a request for her services may be made by a
CASA volunteer or caseworker if it’s believed her pres-
ence would be beneficial to a child.
“We know that dogs can help to lower stress levels
and provide a sense of calm and safety to people,”
Starr said. “Hopefully, Lilly Mae can be a positive for
the kiddos coming to court and help bring a smile and
some joy to an otherwise pretty unpleasant experi-
ence.”
Lilly May will be the first of her kind in Oregon. Oth-
er states do have comfort dogs in their court systems.
Lilly May will be available only to serve in juvenile de-
pendency cases involving children in the foster care
system in Marion County.
The National CASA Association doesn’t know how
many organizations use assistance dogs. It does know
of established programs in at least three counties in
New Mexico and Indiana, and one each in California,
Tennessee, and Texas.
Other CASAs in Oregon will be watching and taking
notes. Lane County has already made initial inquiries
and is eager to see how the program fares in Marion
County.
“There’s a decent amount of pressure but a lot of it,
to be honest, is self-imposed,” Starr said. “The stress is
about it not working out or not working how I want it
to.”
Some early affirmation came last week when her of-
fice opened a makeshift school supply store for foster
children. A young girl who came to the event was com-
pletely enamored with Lilly Mae, calling her “my dog-
gie.”
“To see that joy on her face proved this is the right
thing we’re doing,” Starr said.
And just maybe, Lilly Mae will have a paw in helping
these children find a safe and permanent home — just
like she did.
“Forward This” taps into the heart of the Mid-Valley
— its people, history and issues. Contact Capi Lynn at
clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6710, or
follow her the rest of the week on Twitter @CapiLynn
and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.
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