Founder of The Courthouse Dogs Foundation Ellen joins Colleen & Jim this week to share the history of the organization. This deeply personal journey into her career and personal life will shed a light on the passion behind this project. They also help define some of the terms you’ll hear in the episodes going forward.
Episode Highlights
1:20 – Ellen’s early career
3:00 – Sean (Ellen’s son is born)
5:15 – A growing career as a prosecutor
8:30 – Becoming aware of secondary trauma
10:00 – Ellen adjusts her approach toward people in this process.
13:00 – Sean’s long term needs lead to the discovery of service dogs.
18:30 – Ellen’s first dog training experience
20:21 – Training the people who handle dogs
24:20 – Ellen learns how K-9 Companions utilized dogs in many scenarios
26:30 – Jeeter comes home but a complication arises.
30:00 – What a Facility Dog Is
34:30 – Differences between your dog and a Facility Dog
Definitions:
Prosecutor – Someone who represents the state and when a law has been broken, they are responsible for holding a person accountable. (Mentioned at 6 minute)
Drug Court – Specialized court to manage drug offences.
Facility Dog – Expertly trained dog partnered with a human to facilitate a specific outcome for those that the dog serves.
Links To Resources: