CASS COUNTY HAS A NEW STAFF MEMBER THAT IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL HIRE

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent

CASSOPOLIS – Cass County has joined the growing list of county governments using therapy comfort dogs in their court buildings. In Southwest Michigan, both Berrien County and St. Joseph County already have therapy comfort dogs on hand.

Cass County’s new therapy dog was sworn in last week in a ceremony attended by courthouse staff, county employees, sheriff’s deputies and one of the sheriff’s department’s other two dogs. The department’s other dogs are a drug tracker and a bloodhound for finding missing persons.

Cass County Circuit Judge Mark Herman oversaw the ceremony, asking therapy dog Baxter to raise his right paw and to “solemnly bark or affirm” that he would fulfill his duties. Those duties include to “provide comfort, love, care and affection”, wag his tail, nuzzle all those in need and allow people to pet him.

“You will restrain from barking, smelling and other offensive behaviors and continue the legacy that all dogs go to heaven,” Judge Herman said. “So help you God which we all know is dog spelled backwards.”

Baxter is one and a half years old and a certified therapy dog. He and his handler, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Gondeck, have been training together for more than a year and Baxter has achieved three American Kennel Club certifications.

“Baxter has been coming in here since he was a puppy and won many, many hearts,” Cass County Probate Judge Susan Dobrich said during Tuesday’s ceremony. “He’s taken part in our Adoption Day and assisted us in the treatment courts.”

Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said Gondeck came to him in 2017 with the therapy dog proposal. Behnke said he’d already seen the value of a therapy dog after the 2016 Berrien County Courthouse shooting incident when Berrien County’s therapy dog, Mr. Weeber, helped people grieve and heal.

“Six months after that, Deputy Gondeck came up with the idea of having one here,” Behnke said. “He works in the courts and came up with the idea. I thought it would be very beneficial to employees and victims and Deputy Gondeck took it upon himself to purchase the dog and train him.”

Judge Dobrich noted that Gondeck undertook Baxter’s training and has

shared all the steps along the way with area residents on Baxter’s Facebook page. “Hundreds of people follow him including the Michigan Supreme Court,” she said.

For his part, Gondeck said he had a great sense of accomplishment seeing Baxter sworn into service. While he previously was a dog handler for the sheriff’s department, this time he got the chance to work with Baxter since the time he was a puppy.

“I got the opportunity to take it from ground zero,” he said. “I decided to propose it after seeing other courts like Berrien County do it and since my assignment is in the courts.”

“He will be working with trauma victims and witnesses, attend treatment court and be there for interviews with children,” he said. “He actually has been coming here for a couple of months and has toys and his bed here.”

“What’s really been evident is the calming effect he has in his interactions with employees and others,” Gondeck added. “The first thing people want to do is reach out and pet him, they’ll say that it makes their day. His whole purpose of being is to be petted.”

Cass County will soon have a second sworn canine officer. The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office has its own therapy dog, Belle, who has been trained as a courtroom support canine.