Growing up in Fairfield, where her mother still lives, Marianne Hoffman always had basset hounds. The droopy, baying beasts are counted among dogdom”™s most lovable and those of a certain age will recall the deadpan genius of Cleo, Topper”™s dog, as a fine and furry example of the breed. Today, however, Hoffman, 39, has a golden retriever named Radar in the house and those of a broader age demographic will recall the same-named 4077”™s indispensable radio operator. Radar the dog is indispensable, too. But at 10 o”™clock at night, “She”™s just like any other dog and I”™m out there walking her.”
Radar is not like any other dog. Those in Hoffman”™s Larchmont, N.Y., neighborhood who might look out their leaded windows and see the pair trundling through the cold night could be forgiven for thinking it was just another neighbor walking another neighborhood mutt until it does its business. Both woman and dog, in this case, have a story to tell that is being scripted as you read this. The story trajectory is positive so far, but involves work Hoffman twice calls “intensive and extensive.”
Hoffman is a lawyer specializing in family law: divorces, marital agreements, visitation and custody rights. Her undergraduate degree is from Wellesley College and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She remains on the board of directors for Wellesley in Westchester and conducts the Wellesley, Mass. school”™s off-campus admissions interviews.
She has worked for a number of law firms, both in Connecticut and New York, and continues to practice in both states. “I like being in court,” she says. “I like the process of the law ”“ getting a problem, understanding the intricacies of that particular case, working with it and seeing where the law comes down on that problem.”
She also worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1995 and 1996, traveling to floods in Boston and Pennsylvania, mudslides in Seattle and hurricane damage in Puerto Rico. “FEMA headquarters was in Washington, but I was never there,” she says, noting the work kept her on the road the majority of the time.
Additionally, in 1995 Hoffman began performing pro bono work for the Greenwich YWCA Domestic Violence Services. She ran seminars teaching Y volunteers about the legal processes of restraining orders, protective orders and the court process. The Y has stopped that program, but Hoffman has not stopped like-minded work; now she does it for the Westchester-based Coalition for Family Justice, for the La Leche League ”“ where she lectures on small children and the divorce process ”“ and for the American Association of University Women. She also has taught civil litigation at Norwalk Community College as an adjunct professor.
“Family law has always been my real interest,” she says. “I”™ve always had an interest in working with clients directly and being able to assist with what can be difficult and daunting issues. The legal process can be overwhelming, especially if it”™s a very emotional issue.”
On Jan 2, 2005, Hoffman joined Jones Garneau L.L.P., with offices in Scarsdale, N.Y., and Manhattan. She practices out of both offices, specializing in matrimonial and family law. She handles all phases of about 25 cases at a time, though she admits some are more active than others.
Hoffman is married to Peter Robb, a captain in the New York City Fire Department. Robb”™s firehouse is at 29th Street and Second Avenue, but on 9/11 he was working Uptown in Washington Heights. (It was, nonetheless “a very difficult day,” with Robb fighting his way to the destruction by afternoon.) She has two stepchildren, twins Peter Jr. and Charlotte, both college freshmen; a daughter Katherine, 5; and a son Henry James, 3.
Katherine and Radar are a team because Katherine has Dandy Walker Variant, a condition that affects how she uses her muscles.
“She has an excellent receptive vocabulary, but not so with her expressive vocabulary ”“ and that”™s tied in with the muscles,” Hoffman says of Katherine. “She can walk holding your hand or a table and that”™s where the dog comes in.”
Radar is 4 years old and came from East Coast Assistance Dogs in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. There is also an East Coast Assistance Dogs office in Torrington. Hoffman says East Coast is one of just a few programs that trains dogs for children. It costs about $25,000 to train such a dog, she says. Those who take one are asked to contribute $6,500. Hoffman trained ”“ sometimes with Katherine and sometimes without her ”“ for three weeks last summer in Dobbs Ferry. Hoffman in this girl-gets-dog scenario is called the facilitator. “Now, we transition Katherine to the alpha status,” she says. You might imagine this is easier said than done in a busy household and Hoffman says with a big smile that when her husband the fire captain comes home, the dog ”“ being after all, a dog, even if a superbly trained one ”“ recognizes his alpha tendencies and gravitates toward his aura.
“Growing up, we had basset hounds,” she says. “They”™re wonderful, but they don”™t listen. Radar represents a big difference versus a pet. She is highly, highly, highly trained. She can”™t eat people food and when she”™s in harness she can”™t interface with others.”
The results since Radar arrived last summer have been promising: Katherine can walk 100 feet holding onto the dog”™s harness and can now take a few steps on her own: “Something she couldn”™t do last year. The training is both intensive and extensive. She wants to interface with Radar and that makes her work hard at her speech lessons. She”™s wonderful and always cooperates with all her therapists. It”™s amazing how hard Katherine works.”
An hour with Hoffman reaffirms what we too often forget: We all need help; we”™ve all had lots of assistance ”“ even the so-called self-made could not at one time tie their own shoes. With that in mind, she asks for a plug for the dedicated people who turn ordinary dogs into superdogs like Radar. “Could you give the Web site a plug?”
A small favor to ask: www.ecad1.org.
