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Canine in the courtroom

Judge Nielsen brings his dog to comfort kids

By Holly Neumann


To make juvenile court less stressful for children, Judge Troy Nielsen brings his dog Louis to work with him every Wednesday.

Nielsen was a public defender for 10 years, before he became a judge.

He often represented children, who were in court because they were victims of child abuse or accused of delilnquent behavior.

“During that 10 years, I learned a lot about those kids,” he said. “They were anxious and fearful of being in the courtroom, it was overwhelming for them.”

He sensed that these children did not know why they were there or understand the process.

“They couldn’t really function because of the situations they have been through,” Nielsen said. “They were physically there, but mentally they were not.

‘It was sad in a lot of ways. We were having these hearings about their life, making these decisions about them and the kids are struggling to comprehend what we are doing. They are struggling to have a voice at all, to tell us what they wanted us to know,” he said.

When Nielsen took the bench in 2017, he became responsible for nearly all juvenile cases in Waupaca County.
“I wanted to do something different to encourage the kids when they came to court,” he said. “To get them engaged, to get them to talking. To tell us what is going on and what they need.”

He tried talking to them differently than he had seen many other judges do. He tried to do things differently when engaging with them.

Although his demeanor provided some benefit, he wanted more.

In 2018, Nielsen was appointed to the Children’s Court Improvement Project, which is a statewide group of judges, attorneys, representatives from the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Children and Families, and directors from various Departments of Health and Human Services throughout the state.

“I got a lot of education and training on how to handle juvenile court differently,” he said. “I learned how to get the kids more engaged in the process and have more of a say in their lives.”

Child welfare training

Nielsen attended child welfare training last year. The primary instructor was a judge from Milwaukee County, who worked in children’s court for 30 years.

“He is highly respected in the child welfare arena,” said Nielsen. “And somewhere along the way he mentioned that he brings his dog to court.”

That judge encouraged Nielsen to bring his dog to the courtroom as well.

“At the time, Louis was still a puppy,” he said. “I didn’t want to bring him to court and cause a distraction for the kids, parents, attorneys or me. I wanted him to fit in, but not stand in the way of getting the job done.”

In March, Nielsen brought Louis to court for the first time.

“I decided, I am going to do this and see what happens,” he said. “There were two girls that I had been dealing with and it was hard for them to open up and talk to me. The younger of the two girls was very nervous, but once Louis sat on her lap she calmed down. She wanted to be a part of the process. Louis sat with her for the entire hearing.”

When the hearing came to an end, Nielsen politely reminded her she had to return the dog, and asked if it helpful to have Louis with her that day?

The child said yes and told him to offer Louis to others.

This was all Nielsen needed to hear. Now Louis comes to work every Wednesday, and even wears a tie.
Nielsen introduces Louis to the courtroom and gives those in attendance the option have the dog by them.
“Sure some of them refuse,” he said. “At those times, Louis sits at my feet, behind the bench.”

When Louis does sit with the children, he helps make a difference.

“These kids need a little extra, they need a little more from all of us,” said Nielsen. “It is good to see these kids relax. To see them smile. If bringing Louis to work is helping them, I will do this forever.”

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