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About Courthouse Dogs LLC

Courthouse Dogs, LLC, was founded in 2008 in the State of Washington, with the mission of promoting justice through the use of well trained dogs to provide emotional support to all in the criminal justice system. We hope to be instrumental in the increased use of trained dogs in the courthouse environment by providing a resource for best practices and practical advice.

Ellen O’Neill-Stephens is a senior deputy prosecuting attorney in Seattle, Washington; 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 program.  Ellen received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology, was a juvenile probation officer before entering law school and has been a prosecuting attorney for over 25 years.

Celeste Walsen DVM 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.

Ellen and Celeste are Office of Victims of Crime Consultants (OVC TTAC) on the use of well-trained dogs working in the criminal justice system.  They have assisted prosecutor’s offices, child advocacy centers, and law enforcement agencies throughout the country in establishing successful courthouse dogs programs in their jurisdictions.

Conference presentations given about courthouse dogs include:

• New Mexico District Attorney's Association Spring Conference March 2010
• 17th Annual Children's Law Institute Albuquerque, NM Jan 2010
• New Mexico District Attorney's Association Fall Conference November 2009
• Servicio Nacional de Menores (SENAME) of the Ministry of Justice of Chile - Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Organization Sept 2009
• PDI - Policia de Investigaciones de Chile - Family Crime Investigations Uni,t Sept 2009
• Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile - Veterinarian School of Medicine/Assistance Dogs Sept 2009
• 21st Annual Crimes Against Children Conference, Dallas, TX August 2009
• National Crime Victim Law Institute, Portland, OR June 2009
• National Center for Victims of Crime Conference, Washington, DC June 2009
• NDAA-Equal Justice for Children Conference, Denver, CO May 2009
• Assistance Dogs International Conference, Orlando, FL January 2009
• NDAA-Equal Justice for Children Conference, Memphis, TN June 2008
• Roper Victim Institute- Baltimore, MD June 2008
• 16th Annual Children’s Justice Conference, Seattle, WA April 2008
• University of Baltimore Victim Assistance Training Center Sept. 2007
• 15th Annual Children’s Justice Conference, Seattle, WA March 2007