At the Grenoble Assize Court,
“Oh but Tandem is here today!” “. Barely entering the small cafeteria lounge, the doggie is already attracting everyone's attention and triggering broad smiles on everyone's faces. To tell the truth, it's difficult to resist facing his kissy face. Slightly drooping eyelids, expressive eyes, silky coat… The Golden Retriever has become “the mascot”, even “the star” of the Grenoble courthouse.
“We are happy when he comes. It brings serenity. He is very calm. He has a good-natured side, a bit of a plan. It’s love,” says a young woman during her lunch break. Lying in a frog position, the dog quickly gets up to beg for caresses. “Don’t take the opportunity to look in the bags,” laughs the employee, rewarding him with a kiss, while Tandem, nose alert, smells the smells emanating from his food container.
“His presence reassures them”
In the aisles or corridors of the court, everyone is used to seeing him. Because the Golden Retriever has had a very special mission for the past year: assisting victims during trials. But also during hearings in the offices of the investigating judge or the juvenile judge, or even in police stations. Since the start of the trial of Ludovic Bertin, tried for the murder of Victorine Dartois and the rape of another young woman, the dog has been brought to the courthouse almost every day. Held on a leash, he accompanies the civil parties into the courtroom, attends the proceedings, quietly lying at their feet or next to them.
“His presence reassures them,” explains Grégory Boissieux, one of Tandem’s representatives and a lawyer at France Victimes Grenoble. “On contact, the heart rate will drop. This generates less stress and it’s proven. Even professionals like magistrates tell me that they are different when Tandem is in the room.”
But don’t think that the dog is “a stuffed animal in the corner”, no. “He’s the one who goes to see people. He trusts his intuition, he senses when they need it,” explains Grégory Boissieux. And to cite as an example the time when a man, a victim of domestic violence, appeared before the gendarmes with his face closed. “Tandem got up, walked around the desk to come towards him and put his head on his legs. Thirty seconds later, this gentleman burst into tears. The fact that the dog came closer to him triggered an emotional release.”
Host family and training near Lyon
To soothe and support the victims, the doggie underwent special training before being entrusted to France Victimes Grenoble, which had requested it in 2021. The canine, purchased from a breeder at the age of two or three months, initially grew up in foster care. “This allows us to test it in its full environment and with different audiences,” attests Grégory Boissieux. Then, he was sent for several months to a Handi'Chiens Federation center in Marcy-l'Etoile, near Lyon. There, he learned 57 “commands,” such as barking with a simple wave of his hand, or standing up to open a door. But Tandem benefited from accelerated courses. “We were waiting for a Labrador who was culled due to a hip problem. He had to learn faster. Usually, dogs are trained to be operational at the age of 2 years. He started working at 18 months. We usually say that we made him skip a class,” laughs his life advisor.
Today, the dog respects a precise schedule, “unless there is a special request”. Mondays and Tuesdays are dedicated to the needs of the association. Wednesday is traditionally his day of rest. On Thursdays and Fridays, Tandem works in the Childhood in Danger pediatric reception unit at the Grenoble hospital center. “We adapt according to the needs of the victims and the circumstances. There, as part of this trial which lasts two weeks, Tandem comes exclusively to court,” explains Grégory Boissieux. And in the evening, he comes home quietly. Three life advisors take care of him, a bit “like shared custody”. “We each have the same rug so he can sleep on it. But he doesn’t seem traumatized,” the man smiled, casting a knowing look at the dog. The proof? Rubbing his back against the hallway carpet, the doggie is already spreading his little paws, mischievously waiting for him to come and scratch his belly.
