2022 Peer Training Workshops
Virtual workshops for justice facility dog handlers and other professionals involved in facility dog programs in the legal system.
These one-hour workshops are offered live at 11 AM Pacific Time on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month and are also available as recordings afterward if you are unable to attend in person.
The cost for each workshop is just $25. The registration link is available for each workshop below.
Please note – The material in these workshops is intended for professionals who are partnered with a certified facility dog from an ADI-accredited assistance dog organization.
July 13 – How to Convince a Judge That a Facility Dog in the Witness Box is a Good Thing with Ellen O’Neill-Stephens JD
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Ellen O’Neill-Stephens served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Seattle, Washington for 26 years, retiring in November of 2011; she is a pioneer in the use of dogs to provide emotional support in the criminal justice system and the founder of Courthouse Dogs. Since 2003, she has promoted the use of highly trained assistance dogs to provide comfort to children and adults who are victims or witnesses of crimes and support juveniles and adults in mental health and drug courts. Ellen’s son, Sean, and his service dog, Jeeter, were the inspiration for the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. Ellen received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and was a juvenile probation officer before entering law school.
Ellen will prepare you and your prosecutor to create a persuasive motion to allow a facility dog to accompany a testifying witness during a criminal trial.
July 27 – Best Practices for Including a Facility Dog in Forensic Interviews with Laura Romans
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Laura Romans has been conducting forensic interviews with the help of her partner Ottimo, trained by Canine Companions, since 2015. Laura has conducted more than 1000 forensic interviews over the past 15 years, with and without the help of a facility dog. She has a BA and MS in psychology and is active in education in her field. Laura and Ottimo have been fixtures at the International Courthouse Dog Conferences since 2015.
Ottimo with the program from the 2016 International Courthouse Dogs Conference
Laura will discuss the best way to include a facility dog in forensic interviews in such a way as to be the most effective in providing the support that victims and witnesses need. Please feel free to bring any questions that you have to this workshop, as we will allow time for discussion after Laura’s presentation.
August 10 – Including a Facility Dog In Family and Juvenile Court with Karen Zabel and Jerri Rook
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Karen Zabel is the Facility Dog Handler for the Delaware County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program in Muncie Indiana. She and her partner Frankie were members of the first graduating class of facility dogs from Duo in February 2017. Karen joined the CASA staff in 2009 and has served as a case manager, volunteer supervisor, court liaison and now facility dog handler. Karen and Frankie assist children in court (CHINS, Delinquency and Criminal), at the Child Advocacy Center, and in a variety of settings as they work with prosecutors, law enforcement and the Department of Child Services. In their free time, Karen and Frankie enjoy playing frisbee and taking long walks.
Jerri Rook is the Executive Assistant to President Judge Nancy L.
Butts and Facility Dog Handler for the Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas. Jerri has been with
Facility dog Ludo, trained by Canine Companions, and handler Jerri Rook
Lycoming County since 2010. She graduated from Central Pennsylvania Business School in 1993 with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. Jerri attended Team Training with Canine Companions for Independence in February 2018, and was matched with Jedi II, who passed away in November 2021. Jerri attended Team Training again in April of 2022 and was matched with Ludo II. Jerri and Ludo work primarily with children in the Dependency system, the Delinquency system, Family Law matters, Treatment Courts, and, at times, work with victims in the criminal system. Ludo appears in Court, as well as working with children and victims as they prepare for Court.
Karen and Jerri will talk about their experiences in family and juvenile courts, and share techniques that have been the most successful for them in assisting children and families.
August 24 – Facility Dogs Within University Police Departments with Tiffinni Archie and Jennnifer Thompson
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Tiffini Archie is a Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board Cannabis Enforcement Officer. Previously, she worked for 8 years as a university police officer for Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, with a specialty in crisis intervention and sexual assault and domestic violence. As the handler for the first university police facility dog program in her state, Tiffinni was responsible for creating policies for her department, best practices in the use of the facility dog, and a strong social media presence. On campus, Tiffinni utilized her facility dog Hilani on patrol, fostering positive relationships with marginalized populations, survivors of trauma and other groups throughout campus.
Jennifer Thompson is currently a 2nd year PhD student at the University of Texas Health Science Center where she is focused on Violence Epidemiology.
She holds a master of public health (MPH) from Michigan State University where her capstone project involved organizational stress amongst law enforcement officers and the presence of departmental facility dogs. Jennifer holds a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) instructor’s license and she has been a regular instructor for the University of Texas System Police academy in Austin, TX since 2015. She also previously worked with the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) where she was a statewide campus law enforcement trainer. Jennifer has also served as a volunteer victim advocate with the University of Texas at Austin police department since the inception of the Victim’s Advocate Network (VAN) program in 2018. She is proud to support campus law enforcement across the country and believes that facility dogs are particularly well-suited to campus policing. Jennifer lives in Austin, TX with her cat, George (who was rescued from a storm drain by police outside of Houston) and is patiently waiting to be matched with a facility dog.
In this presentation, Tiffinni and Jennifer will discuss some of what makes campus policing unique and how incorporating a facility dog into a campus police department can build and strengthen relationships. Particularly, they will focus on the ways that a campus police facility dog can help to connect and serve persons in crisis, people of color, and other marginalized campus groups. This section will include discussion on campus mental health, community engagement, and communications. In the second part of our presentation, they will discuss some things to consider in getting started with a campus facility dog program. This will include first steps, important components to consider, and some resources to help get started.
September 14 – Developing a Statewide Facility Dog Program with Tamara Martin and Susan Bradshaw
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Tamara Martin has spent over 35 years in the criminal justice system, having worked with both offenders and victims. Tamara earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Auburn University at Montgomery. Tamara began her professional career counseling and advocating for domestic violence and sexual assault victims. Starting in 1992 and continuing for 21 years, Tamara was employed as a Probation Officer for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Following her retirement in 2013, she began the first courthouse facility dog program in Alabama. In May 2014, Tamara was placed with facility dog Willow, a graduate of Canine Companions. Due to Willow and Tamara being the only courthouse Facility Dog team in Alabama for four years, Willow has assisted with cases all over the state. Tamara and Willow were instrumental in starting HERO, Alabama’s statewide facility dog program, which was the first statewide program in the country. Willow retired in May of 2021 at which time Tamara was placed with Successor Facility Dog Yahini. Tamara is a Facility Dog Handler for the Office of Prosecution Services in Montgomery, Alabama.
Susan Bradshaw is originally from Pine Bluff, AR and is a graduate of Henderson State University. She received her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas Little Rock in 2002. She is married to Jerry and is the mother of two daughters, Jillian (16) and Katherine (12). Susan was a Victim Advocate with the 20th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for 11 years before going to work for PCO with the PAWS for Justice Program. She is active in her church, is a Girl Scout troop leader, and serves on the Arkansas State Council for the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision. Susan has worked in the criminal justice field for the past 19 years. Barb is an 8-year-old lab/golden cross who was purposefully bred and trained by Canine Companions. She began working in the 20th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with Susan and Fawn Borden on February 16, 2016.
During this one-hour presentation, Tamara and Susan will discuss how to develop a Statewide Facility Dog program by identifying who the possible stakeholders are, ways to sell the program, who employs the handlers, options on what office would they work out of, what services will they provide, how many handlers you need to start a program, and where to find potential funding.
September 28 – Best Practices When Including a Facility Dog In Forensic Medical Exams with Lisa Wahl
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Lisa Wahl, ARNP, FNP, SANE-A, SANE-P, has been a Family Nurse Practitioner and Forensic Nurse Examiner (FNE) with Providence Sexual Assault Clinic and Child Maltreatment Center (SAC) for 15 years, caring for children who have been physically and/or sexually abused, neglected and/or tortured, as well as responding to 3 hospitals to provide FNE care and services to people of all ages. She has been a co-handler of Astro, Director of Canine Support Services, since his arrival from the Assistance Dogs of Hawaii in 2013. As Astro “pretires,” he is mentoring Coco, who was also donated by Assistance Dogs of Hawaii to SAC. Lisa and Coco are syncing up and looking forward to years of service together.
Lisa got her master’s Science of Nursing degree from University of Alaska. She has been a Darkness to Light, Stewards of Children facilitator for 13 years, teaching child sexual abuse prevention to professionals and community members. She precepts nurse practitioner students, medical students and doctors from several hospitals and universities at SAC, increasing awareness of child abuse in the medical arena.
Lisa is going to explain the role of the medical team when there have been allegations of child abuse. She will show you what a child and their caregiver can expect when they are referred to SAC, and the roles of their canine team, Astro, Coco, and Daze. Lisa will address some common myths regarding dogs in a medical clinic and talk briefly about personal transition challenges she has experienced as dogs age.
October 26 – Facility Dogs Support Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims Through Prosecution with Kim Carroll
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Kim Carroll is a Senior Victim Advocate with the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Olympia Washington where she is currently assigned to the Domestic Violence and Special Victims Team. Ms. Carroll has been employed as an advocate with Thurston County for over 24 years, serving victims from a variety of crimes such as Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse and General Felony crimes. Ms. Carroll holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with double majors in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Central Washington University. She is also a credentialed Advanced Level Advocate by National Organization for Victim Assistance. She is also certified as a Program Leader by the Courthouse Dogs Foundation for the inclusion of Accredited Facility Dogs in the legal system in accordance with best practices. She was partnered with Marshal, Courthouse Facility Dog in 2015. Ms. Carroll often presents to local schools, Universities, and law enforcement agencies on best practices in the field of Domestic Violence, Crime Victim Rights, and the incorporation of a Courthouse Facility Dog in victim services.
This workshop will explore the role of a facility dog as they support victims through the criminal justice system from initial court hearings to sentencing and all the possible interactions along the way. Included will be some useful tips and success stories. You will be encouraged to share some of your own as well.
November 9 – Facility Dogs Provide Support in a Police Department with Lameka Bell and Sharon Rose
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Lameka Bell is a Community Affairs K-9 Specialist at the Hawthorne Police Department and has led an impressive career as the first Police Facility K9 Handler in the state of California. Leveraging her experience, she is the creator and Director of the International Police Facility Dog Association and the co-founder of Coffee with a Cop – a nonprofit organization aimed at bringing police officers together with the communities that they serve.
Along with her faithful K9 partners, Lameka Bell helps victims of crime, witnesses to violent crime, and seriously injured citizens receive much-needed comfort, peace, assistance, and support through trained animal companionship as a way to cope with trauma. Bell’s partner, Scottie, is a Golden Retriever mix who has been working with her ever since they completed the Canine Companion’s Team Training in 2012. Not only were Bell and Scottie the first Police Facility K9 Team in all of Los Angeles County and the entire state of California, but they were also among the first Police Facility K9 Teams in the United States. Their successful work sparked a lot of interest from other police departments and the community support that their program gained also made it possible for another amazing Facility K9, named Thyme, to join Bell and Scottie at the Hawthorne Police Department in June of 2020.
Bell has become an expert at consulting with other officers and police departments on how to start their own extremely successful Police Facility Dog Program so that they too can compassionately serve and support the members of their own communities with these highly trained, incredibly valuable K9 additions to their team. For Bell, being relatable, helpful, creative, caring, and resourceful not only come naturally to her but are essential parts of her job and her valued role in her community.
Sharon Rose began her career with the Redondo Beach Police Department in 1989 as a jailer. As a civilian employee, she had the opportunity to work in the Evidence Unit, the Court Liaison Office, and work a foot beat on the Redondo Beach Pier enforcing municipal code violations. She was promoted to Jail Manager in 2005 and moved to Evidence Unit Manager in 2012, which also included Facilities Manager, Uniform & Equipment Manager, and Fleet Services. In 2016 an opportunity came about to become the first Facility Dog Handler for the Redondo Beach Police Department, and in 2017 she was matched with Meredith, a Labrador golden cross from Canine Companions.
Sharon and Meredith now work heavily in the schools providing support, reducing anxiety, and bringing smiles to hundreds of students, and Meredith graduates high school each year in her very own cap and gown. They visit special day classes for both children and adults, they visit senior centers where Meredith enjoys snoozing on the laps of residents. They work with the LA County DA’s office assisting with the Project LEAD program (legal enrichment and decision-making), accompany victims during court proceedings, and provide peer support. You can always find Sharon and Meredith at any of the police department’s many pop-up community events, serving up popcorn or snow cones and, as always, making smiles happen.
This workshop will focus on how certified facility dogs can support the work that law enforcement officers do in their community, by contributing to the well-being of the law enforcement officers themselves as well as by promoting engagement with members of the public.
December 14 -Ideas to Enhance Your Facility Dog’s Quality of Life
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This workshop will offer a variety of lifestyle changes, activities, and equipment to make your facility dog happier. Bring your best thoughts for a lively discussion at the end of the panel presentation.
Tambra Donohue Ph.D. is the Director of Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy Center, a nationally-accredited child advocacy center with a co-located partner model. She is committed and passionate about furthering the work of effective and compassionate response to child abuse and supports the courthouse facility dog programs as a highly effective means to mitigate trauma experienced by children and families. She is responsible for the daily operations of the Center, convenes a coordinated multi-disciplinary team response to child abuse and provides administration/supervisory oversight to the family advocacy program, crime victims centers, and forensic interviewing program. Tambra also serves as the clinical supervisor to the Center’s mental health program, training master’s and doctoral interns in specialized treatment of abuse. She is the primary handler for the Courthouse Dog Facility Program (Astro), one of the first programs to utilize multiple co-handlers throughout the Center’s service points (medical, forensic interviewing, mental health, meet and greets, defense interviews and courthouse support). Tambra is also a co-handler of recently added second dog, Coco.
Tony Luker spent over 30 years in Law Enforcement. In 2012 he retired at the rank of Lieutenant and oversaw the Criminal Investigating Division of the Dothan Police Department in Alabama. Starting in 2016 and continuing to the present Tony has been employed as the Program Manger tasked to start and oversee a dog program at Wiregrass Angel House, a non-profit agency for victims of violent crimes. The program started with the training of two therapy dogs and in 2018 the program evolved into a facility dog program with the addition of a facility dog Mandy V from Caine Companions. Tony and Mandy graduated from Team Training August 10, 2018, from Canine Companions Southeast Region. Mandy is also part of the HERO program, an Alabama statewide facility dog program. While she provides comfort, reassurance, and courage to children during a forensic interview, counseling session and testifying in court. Mandy can interact and play games with the children. Some of the games Mandy plays are Tic Tac Toe on the iPad, bowling, a modified basketball game, volleyball, and she loves to play shortstop in Wiffle Ball. Mandy pops bubbles, plays fetch, paints, picks up puzzle pieces and turns pages in books. She also does math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Mandy can even pick colors.
Julie Siepmann LCSW and MacDougal “Mac” are a courthouse facility dog and handler team working at Juliette’s House in McMinnville, Oregon. Juliette’s House is a Child Abuse Intervention Center where children are seen when there are concerns for physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, drug endangerment or exposure to violence. Children receive a medical exam and forensic interview and caregivers receive assistance with follow up services and resources. Mac is an almost five-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever provided to Juliette’s House by Assistance Dogs Northwest. His primary work with children involves providing support and comfort from a raised dog bed next to the exam table during the medical exam and snuggling with kids on a loveseat during the forensic interview. When Mac is not working, he is involved in Barn Hunt, a dog sport where he uses his nose to find rats (inside durable plastic tubes) hidden among hay bales. He also loves to go for hikes (especially at the beach), go swimming, serve as a good role model for Chowder (the puppy I’m currently raising for Dogs for Better Lives), play with dog friends (including Chowder and my little terrier mix, Charlie) and learn new tricks!
Celeste Walsen DVM is currently the co-handler of Mona, a facility dog from America’s VetDogs, who loves to play hide-and-seek and find hidden balls of all types. Celeste has worked at Courthouse Dogs Foundation for almost fifteen years and has raised puppies for Canine Companions and Guide Dogs for the Blind in the past. Celeste works with criminal justice facilities to teach staff members the practicalities of using highly trained dogs in victim/witness support programs. As Executive Director of Courthouse Dogs, Dr. Walsen is currently working to develop nationally recognized guidelines that will equip victim advocates, forensic interviewers, prosecuting attorneys, and other legal professionals to effectively employ dogs to provide support for vulnerable people of all ages. Dr. Walsen holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California Berkeley and a DVM from Louisiana State University.