On April 30, in honor of National Therapy Animal Day, community members, court officials, volunteers, and therapy dog teams gathered at the Kent County Courthouse to celebrate two major milestones for West Michigan Therapy Dogs: the 8th anniversary of the Kent County Courthouse Therapy Dog Program and 25 years of WMTD serving the West Michigan community.
The special recognition ceremony featured remarks from Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth M. Welch, who presented WMTD President Heather McCormick with an official resolution honoring the organization’s impact and continued partnership with the Kent County Courts. Justice Welch recognized the growing role therapy dogs play in creating more supportive courtroom environments and acknowledged the lasting impact WMTD has made throughout the community.
For many children and vulnerable adults, the courtroom can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Therapy dog teams help ease that anxiety by providing comfort and emotional support during difficult moments, including meetings with prosecutors and courtroom testimony involving traumatic experiences.
“It’s amazing how just having a dog there to pet and to talk to when they’re having to recount these really traumatic stories for prosecutors, getting ready to testify and actually testifying in the courtroom, how they make a huge difference,” said Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kathleen Feeney, who previously served on the bench in Kent County.
Since launching in 2018 through a partnership with Kent Circuit Court and the 61st and 63rd District Courts, the Courthouse Therapy Dog Program has expanded throughout Kent County courtrooms. Today, specially trained therapy dog teams continue helping children, teens, and vulnerable adults feel safer and more supported during stressful proceedings.
Judge Feeney also reflected on the visible difference the program has made over the years.
“[I] have noticed how it can completely change the dynamic,” Feeney shared. “(Kids) are no longer sitting in the corners, crying, clamming up and not wanting to talk. They’re willing to sit and pet the dog and play with the dogs, [enabling them to speak more openly].”
Among the therapy dogs in attendance was Zeus, a 170-pound Great Dane whose gentle temperament has made him a favorite among those he visits. Standing nearly six feet tall on his hind legs, Zeus joined more than a dozen therapy dog teams gathered for the celebration.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to share him,” volunteer Janet Taylor said. “I have multiple great memories of him going in and using his empathic character and picking one person or one child and sitting for a half an hour.”
As West Michigan Therapy Dogs approaches its official 25th anniversary on May 19, the organization is reflecting on a quarter century of service, compassion, and community impact. The courthouse celebration served not only as a recognition of the program’s growth and success, but also as a reminder of the countless lives touched by therapy dog teams across West Michigan over the past 25 years – with many more still to come.
See media coverage below.