Thanks to a Seneca Valley senior’s graduation project, dogs might soon have their day in court in Butler County.

But they won’t be on trial. Instead, they would comfort victims who are testifying.

Emily Beahm, 17, of Evans City has been raising awareness about the benefits of “courthouse dogs” for several months, but her inspiration came during her junior year.

Beahm, who owns a cockapoo and a bichon frise and volunteers with Dr. Cheryl Haywood at Myoma Animal Hospital in Adams Township, was working on a research paper when she discovered working dogs have a place in court.

“I first was going to do (my project) on just how pets benefit our lives because they’re our companions,” she said.

“But that’s too generic. I wanted to do something more with it, and I found an article on Rosie, which was the first (courthouse) dog in New York.”

Rosie, a golden retriever, made news in June 2011 after accompanying a 15-year-old girl who had to testify about being raped and impregnated by her father.

The girl’s testimony, made possible by Rosie’s calming presence at her feet while in the witness box, led to a conviction.

The defense in that case is challenging the conviction on grounds that the dog swayed the jury’s decision. However, the debate has put the spotlight on a practice that has been slowly growing in popularity since the late 1980s.

“I was surprised by how much information I found on (courthouse dogs),” Beahm said.

“Not a lot of people know about it, which I was surprised about, but I fell in love with it, and I thought it was really interesting,” she said.

Beahm’s research led her to Dr. Celeste Walsen, executive director of the Courthouse Dog Foundation near Seattle.

Founded in 2003, the nonprofit organization is a leader in raising awareness about courthouse dogs. It provides research, resources and guidelines to those who are developing programs.

While service dogs are typically paired with disabled individuals or used to help people in schools and health care facilities, courthouse dogs do specifically what their name suggests: They work in the court system.

As a result, Walsen said courthouse dogs, which also can be referred to as “facility dogs,” must be trained and classified differently than service dogs. That also is necessary because using the terms “service dog,” “advocate dog” or “therapy dog” in court would assume the person testifying is a victim, therefore giving the defense reason to declare a mistrial.

Walsen said courthouse dogs are most commonly used during forensic interviews and other court proceedings to comfort children who have experienced trauma from criminal conduct. However, they can provide the same support to adults, such as those with developmental disabilities, veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or women who are victims of domestic violence.

Those victims, she explained, often have trouble talking about their experience, especially to strangers in the court system. But when a dog trained to show emotional support is by their side, they tend to cooperate more effectively, she said.

Walsen, whose background includes psychology, said there is much scientific research that shows petting or hugging a dog has the same physiological and neurological affects as being comforted by a friend or family member.

She said the use of a courthouse dog is essentially an extension of a ruling that allows children to hold a teddy bear or other stuffed animal during legal proceedings.

Walsen said the use of courthouse dogs also has been shown to save money.

She said because a talking witness is a better witness, defendants plead guilty more often when faced with a stronger case. In addition, a courthouse dog can calm a witness and eliminate the need for a recess if they become distressed, she explained.

“You could not believe the difference it will make if you can get a dog in your court system,” she said.

With so much at stake in court, every dog must be specially trained.

Walsen said accredited members of Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of nonprofit assistant dog organizations, are qualified to do the training.

Many of those organizations breed, raise and train both service and facility dogs, she said. And there are two such organizations in Pennsylvania: Canine Partners for Life in Chester County and Susquehanna Service Dogs in Harrisburg.

Walsen said working dogs typically receive basic obedience training until they are about 18 months old. Then, they move on to professional dog trainers. At about 2 years old, those dogs start exhibiting traits that make them a good fit for different roles, one of which would be to work in a court system.

Walsen estimated the value of training at about $25,000 to $30,000 per dog. However, she said placements typically only cost about $3,000 to $5,000 because much of the training is funded by donations.

Darlene Sullivan, director of Canine Partners for Life, explained courthouse dogs are the best of the best.

“This is a really special dog that can do this work,” she said. “They just have to have a rock-solid temperament.”

She said they must be physically strong to work long schedules, emotionally strong to deal with stressful environments and social enough to be calming.

But even for Sullivan, who has been with Canine Partners for Life for more than 20 years, courthouse dogs are relatively new.

In August 2009, she started working with Centre County officials to train and place Princess, the 85-pound yellow Labrador retriever that would become Pennsylvania’s first courthouse dog that December, making the commonwealth one of 19 states with a courthouse dog.

Beahm and her supporters have met with Butler County officials and agency leaders to gauge the possibility of bringing a courthouse dog here.

So far, many have been receptive.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said county District Attorney Richard Goldinger, the owner of two dogs.

He said he has heard of courthouse dogs, but has yet to see one in action. However, he said he could see how one could help.

“I think it would be a real effective tool out of the courtroom for the children and youth agency when they interview children about allegations,” he said.

County President Judge Thomas Doerr said he had not heard of courthouse dogs, but he would support such a program if it were started and sustained by donations.

Doerr said he doesn’t believe a dog would be a distraction or sway a jury.