Two dogs are among Boulder County’s newest government employees.

Ares, a 1½-year-old German shepherd, is the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office’s newest K-9 recruit, and Marlow, a 2-year-old golden retriever lab mix, is the newest friend of fur district employee. Advocacy to assist in victim services.

While the two dogs couldn’t be more different in their jobs, they reflect the continued presence of K-9 support in law enforcement agencies.

“He’s very good at comforting people”

Ares, currently going through the academy, is preparing for certification in patrol and narcotics detection. Meanwhile, Marlow helps the victims and children feel more comfortable during the trial.

“This building is a scary place, it has people that a victim or a witness doesn’t know and people in suits who will ask all these very hard questions about things they really don’t want to talk about if they had a choice,” he said. said Chris Merkle, a senior investigator with the DA’s office. “Just to see the impact, these dogs can reduce that advantage.”

Merkle’s work involves investigating cases in preparation for trial. Every investigation includes interviewing witnesses, victims and responders about what they saw during the incident.

“We meet with them right before the trial, sort of give them the logistics of the trial and where and when they should appear. That’s often when Marlow is involved,” Merkle said. “A lot of times when you’re talking about the crime again and in court, it brings up a lot of anxiety. He is very good at comforting people.”

Marlow, who has been in the office since April, is part of Canine Companion For Independence, which provides “service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and service dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings.” his website. Their dogs are at no cost to customers.

Merkle said Marlow was trained when they started working. But to make sure Marlow stays on top of his training, they spend about five to 10 minutes a day revising.

Marlow’s responsibilities involve calming people down, bringing smiles to people’s faces, and even dropping a box of tissues in their lap if they need it.

The pup is trained to respond to both English and Spanish and has the ability to open drawers, “pep” people to alert them, and rest its upper body or chin on someone to calm them. Marlow can also jump on furniture if needed, only barks on command and only goes to the bathroom when told.