Yonkers, the St. Louis County Attorney's Office facility dog
Yonkers is a trained facility dog who works alongside Victim/Witness staff at the St. Louis County Attorney's Office. He helps people feel steadier during parts of the criminal process that can be stressful, such as meeting a prosecutor, waiting for a hearing, or talking about what happened.
What Yonkers does
- Sits with a person during a meeting with Victim/Witness staff or a prosecutor.
- Stays with someone in a waiting area before a hearing.
- Is present for [interviews with children — confirm the term the office uses].
- Attends court with a witness when the judge allows it
- Attends victim impact statements
Yonkers works with a handler from our office at all times. Time with Yonkers is always optional.
Who can spend time with Yonkers
Victims, witnesses, and family members going through the judicial system can request to work with Yonkers. Decisions will be made based primarily on availability.
How to ask
Call Victim/Witness staff at 218-726-2323 or tell the staff member working with you. Ask as early as you can, so we can plan. Requests are arranged case by case, and Yonkers is not always available.
Working with Yonkers
- Yonkers is a working dog. Please ask the handler before petting him.
- The handler stays with Yonkers the whole time.
- Tell us if anyone in the room is allergic to dogs or would rather not be near one. We will make other arrangements, and no one has to explain why.
- Yonkers does not go anywhere he is not welcome.
About Yonkers
Yonkers is a black lab who came to the office in 2026 from Can Do Canines, a member organization of Assistance Dogs International. He began is training through the organization and trained at a variety of locations over three years before graduation as a certified ADI facility dog. His primary handler is an Assistant County Attorney and his secondary handler is a member of our Victim/Witness team.
A facility dog is not a service animal. Service animals are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. A facility dog works with a professional handler to support many different people as they navigate the judicial process.
