Berto, Anderson County’s courthouse facility dog, dies after illness

What This Story Is About

• Berto, a facility dog who worked with vulnerable witnesses and crime victims for the 7th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office in Anderson County, Tennessee, died Oct. 21, 2026, following an illness.

Why It Matters

• Defendants in cases Berto worked on received hundreds of years of combined prison time, which the office says helped make Anderson County safer from repeat offenders.

For Context

• A Tennessee law passed in April 2025 expanded the use of facility dogs in courtrooms statewide, building on programs like the one Berto served in Anderson County.

Catch Up

• Berto previously helped a child abuse victim speak for the first time about her trauma, testimony that helped secure a 120-year sentence for her abuser.

CLINTON, Tenn. — Berto, a facility dog who worked with witnesses and victims for the 7th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, died Oct. 21 following an illness, according to District Attorney General Dave Clark.

Clark announced Berto’s death in a social media post, saying the dog went through two years of training and preparation before beginning his work with the office.

“He made it possible for traumatized persons to participate in the criminal justice process in ways they couldn’t without him,” Clark said. “He distributed non-judgmental love and support to so many Anderson Countians in their darkest moments.”

Over four years of service, defendants in cases Berto worked on received hundreds of years of prison time combined, Clark said.

“In this way, Berto not only helped victims, but also helped make Anderson County safer from repeat offenders,” Clark said. “Our office, crime victims and our community will miss Berto.”

Office thanks Canine Companions, veterinary team

Clark thanked Canine Companions for providing Berto to the office and for the organization’s financial support of his veterinary care during his illness. He also thanked the veterinary experts who treated Berto.

Clark said the office’s thoughts are with Berto’s handler, Victim Witness Coordinator Katherine Sellers, and her family.

“Handlers and their K-9’s necessarily form special bonds,” Clark said. “Katherine and Berto were a very close and special team in their work for others.”

Background on Berto’s work

Berto joined the 7th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office as a facility dog two years before an April 2025 state law expanded the use of facility dogs in courtrooms statewide. Berto and Sellers graduated from the Southeast Training Campus in Orlando, Florida, in October 2023.

“In many instances, Berto has allowed the victims and the witnesses to do things and for us to prosecute cases that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to,” Clark said. “And that means a safer community for everybody.”

Sellers previously described a case in which a young child abuse victim had not spoken about her trauma during multiple office visits until meeting Berto. The child’s testimony helped secure a conviction with a 120-year sentence for the abuser.