Some programs survive. Gina Yeager's thrives — and has for nearly two decades, across three generations of facility dogs.
As Victim Services Coordinator for the Fifth Judicial District DA's Office in Roswell, New Mexico, Gina has built something rare: an organization where facility dogs are not a program feature but a foundational expectation. New Victim Advocates must be willing to handle a dog — it is written into every job posting. Incoming prosecutors are onboarded with facility dog protocols from day one. And an independent nonprofit ensures the program is never at the mercy of a government budget cycle.
In this session, Gina shares the philosophy, the practical strategies, and the hard-won lessons behind a program that has not just survived leadership transitions, budget pressures, and organizational change — but rather grown stronger through all of it. She will explore what it means to embed a facility dog so deeply into the culture of an organization and community that its absence becomes unthinkable.
If you want your program to still be here decades from now — and thriving — this is the session for you.
Victim Services Coordinator, Fifth Judicial District DA Office
Gina Yeager is the Victim Services Coordinator, Violence Prevention Program Coordinator, and Court Facility Dog Coordinator for the Fifth Judicial District DA's Office in Chaves County, New Mexico. A third-generation facility dog handler, Gina has spent more than a decade building one of th... Read More →
