History of K9 c.a.r.e.s.

Carolyn Corbett is the founder and Executive Director of K9 c.a.r.e.s., a groundbreaking program in which highly trained advocate dogs work side-by-side with victim advocates who support and assist victims of traumatic events or crimes.

For more than seven years, Carolyn worked to construct the K9 c.a.r.e.s. program after her work with the victims of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, in which she received the "Columbine Police Service Ribbon" from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Carolyn balanced the emotional investment of working as a volunteer victim advocate by training of her Golden Retrievers to become therapy dog teams.

Carolyn knew how canines could help victims during and after traumatic events. Carolyn is a survivor of domestic violence and it was Chelsea, Carolyn's first Golden Retreiver, who gave her the strength, confidence, comfort and love she needed to endure endless court proceedings. Chelsea gave her the unconditional love for her to realize her self-worth and to turn her experiences into an opportunity to positively affect the lives of others.

Carolyn worked tirelessly with Caitee, her second Golden Retreiver, to illustrate the importance of the K9 c.a.r.e.s. program in law enforcement. In 2007 C.A.R.E.S was officially recognized and approved by the City of Westminster and Westminster Police Department for integration into the Westminster Victims Services Unit, making it the one of the first of its kind in the country.

Today Carolyn is working to educate other criminal justice and law enforcement agencies in the Denver, Colorado area and throughout the country how to duplicate K9 c.a.r.e.s. programs. Carolyn and Caitee, remain on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist at emergencies where the Westminster Victim Services Unit is on scene.

The success and growth of K9 C.A.R.E.S. has led it to become a nonprofit organization as of July 1st, 2009. K9 c.a.r.e.s. actively supports many opportunities for volunteers such as hospitals, shelters and literacy programs in addition to their crisis intervention work.

Carolyn and Caitee started a Pilot Program in 2010 for Colorado's 17th Judicial District to assist victims and witnesses they go through the criminal justice process. K9 c.a.r.e.s. has received recognition for their groundbreaking work as recipient of the Thomas E. Greene Award for Outstanding Service by a Nonprofit Organization to the Victims of the 17th Judicial District, Adams County, Colorado - April 2010.