Courthouse surprises

You never know who, or what, you're going to see in court.
It's one of the things that makes the beat so much fun, and terrifying, and annoying.
Take today for example. I'm heading up the escalators to the fourth floor for a sentencing in a murder case (which was postponed, of course) and I swing around the hall corner to find Duke, a massive caramel-colored pooch with pretty brown eyes and a regal bearing sitting sphinx-like in front of a pair of courtroom doors.
Duke was kitted out in a helper dog kind of a harness and was very well behaved for his master.
It made me imagine what it would be like if I were to bring one or both of my dogs, both rescue animals, to the courthouse.
If I brought Spartacus, the mutt who is afraid of everything, he would probably cower in the corner and try to hide behind my legs, tangling us up in the leash and nearly breaking my neck in the process. At least that's what he does in the park, or on Second Street, or anywhere I take him where we find lots of people.
Or I could bring Julii, the pure bred Lab my husband and I adopted after her owner went into a home because he had Alzheimer's and couldn't care for her. No one wanted her because she was already about 8 years old, but you would never guess it judging my her energy and can I say how much easier and nicer it is getting a dog already trained and past the puppy stage.
If Julii came to court with me, she would do her very best to greet everyone, and I mean every single person, she saw with her cold, wet nose and nudge them all for a pat on the head.
Then again, I could bring both and let chaos take over completely. It would be fun, but probably not advisable.
My thanks to Duke's owner, though, for bringing a little joy to the otherwise dreary courthouse hallway today.