Samantha’s Story

Courtrooms can feel overwhelming for anyone, and for a child, they can be especially intimidating. The unfamiliar setting, the formality, and the weight of what’s being decided all settle heavily into the room.

A termination of parental rights hearing isn’t just another court date. It is the moment where, a judge, essentially a stranger in a child’s life, determines whether a parent’s legal rights to their child will be permanently ended. It is often the final step after months, or even years, of involvement in the child welfare system. The child may be asked to speak, to share their experiences, or simply sit in a room where deeply personal and painful parts of their life are discussed out loud.

For a child, it can mean facing a parent they may fear, miss, love, or feel conflicted about all at once.

On one particular morning, 12-year-old Samantha wasn’t sure she could walk through the courthouse doors. Her father was incarcerated and she hadn’t seen him in over 9 years. More than anything else in the world, all Samantha wanted was a home with a family that loved her, but with her father unwilling to give up his rights, she was forced to remain in foster care. It was important for her to tell the judge what she wanted, but she was afraid to tell him the truth, especially if that meant saying it in front of her father.

It had already been a long day and thankfully Samantha didn’t have to sit in the courtroom for the duration of the morning, while her father and his attorney gave their side to the judge. Instead, Polar, who had accompanied her to the courthouse that morning, lay quietly beside her, his head across her lap while she processed and expressed her emotions. From angry outbursts of “Why is this my life"? What did I do?”, to crying softly into his fur, Polar offered quiet reassurance.

When it was her time to speak with the judge, she stopped before the courtroom doors. Visibly shaking she told her attorney, her therapist, and Tammie, Polar’s handler, that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go in.

Tammie gently asked if she would like to walk Polar into the courtroom, and after a moment, she nodded. She reached for his least and together, they walked in. Step by step, Polar stayed at her side, and when she sat down, he laid down beneath her chair, close enough to be felt and steady enough to lean on without a word. And in that moment, Samantha found her voice.

Bravery doesn’t always look like confidence, or the absence of fear…and on this day, bravery looked like a 12-year-old little girl holding on to a leash and taking a step toward the future that she wants.