Meet Solfi, the new Bonneville County emotional support animal
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IDAHO FALLS – Bonneville County recently hired a new employee – and she’s pretty darn cute.
Solfi, a 9-week-old golden retriever, was recently chosen to be trained as an emotional support animal for victims and their families at the Bonneville County Courthouse.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal, who is also Solfi’s handler, says she is from a small breeder in Carey and will soon be trained to provide comfort and emotional strength to victims and witnesses of traumatizing events.
“The ultimate (goal) is that we can give her a witness that she has never met before, walk with her to the stand, sit next to her or lay next to her, and not disrupt, not be distracted, not put her own needs (first). She’ll know it’s a job; she’s not going to be playing with the witness,” says Neal. “(She will) let the witness do her testimony, and after that, she’s done. That’s her job. She’s to make sure that somebody is not traumatized by the court experience.”
Neal says the name comes from the combination of two words he hopes Solfi will encompass.
“There’s a Norwegian name that means ‘lady of the house,’ but we varied that just a little bit,” says Neal. “It’s Solfi for ‘solace’ for the victims and ‘fidelity,’ you know, devotion.”
But Solfi’s job won’t be to provide support for victims only.
“I think the most important issue for us is our victim witness coordinators have to fulfill the role of supporting witnesses and victims when they go to court. There’s a second-hand trauma that really goes along with that, especially with our child witnesses and victims,” says Neal. “It became important to us for the wellness of our support staff that we get a dog that’s trained to handle that role and isn’t impacted the same way humans are.”
Golden retrievers are often known for their comforting presence and ideal temperament for training, making Solfi the perfect candidate for the job.
“When we start working with a dog like this, the breed and the temperament is really key to it. We did, for about four months try to search for a dog we could rescue, but not knowing their background and the age is a big issue,” says Neal. “You’ve gotta start socializing these dogs when they’re very young.”
Right now, Solfi is still doing “orientation,” but soon, she’ll get her job description and be ready to provide necessary support for victims and witnesses at the courthouse.
“When she gets to be about 16 weeks, then she’ll start some formal training to be what’s called a facility dog,” says Neal. “Then we’re thinking in about nine months, maybe a year, she’ll be disciplined enough that she could go into a courtroom and not be disruptive and not be distracting.”
To follow along with Solfi’s training and career, follow her on Instagram here. Watch us meet her in the video player above.