Cottonwood Police Department’s K9 Victim Services Program received a $15,500 donation from Sedona based 100 Women Who Care to go towards the care of CPD’s facility dog Tilly.
The Victim Services Program responds to any victim crime in the city of Cottonwood. This could include assisting a victim of domestic violence that needs help with a safety plan or court procedure, or aiding victims of sexual assault or child molestation, among many other major and lesser crimes.
Tilly is a 9-year-old yellow Labrador retriever and has been with the program for three years, previously working for the superior court in Grand Junction, Colo. She was raised and trained by Canine Companions for Independence, one of the leading service dog training centers in the U.S.
Tilly works at the police department three days a week and is on call 24/7. The K9 program has also assisted law enforcement agencies across the Verde Valley, in addition to courts at all levels.
She was trained to know about 40 different commands and to not react to anything stressful. She does not have a startle reflex and is not affected by loud noises. She has been trained to be a consistent calming presence and to sense distress.
A lot of the work that Tilly does is with children. If a child victim needs to be interviewed, Tilly will accompany them in the interview room and provide a calming presence and companion. She can be petted, or will lay down near or on top of a victim and relax them.
Tilly is trained to take the stand in court. She will sit in a witness box and stay silent on the floor for hours at a time. Victims can have her nearby, putting their feet on her and feeling the comfort a dog can provide.
Most defense attorneys are not thrilled about having the courtroom know that a dog is with a victim or witness, as it makes them seem more vulnerable. Many times they will clear the room and bring Tilly up to the witness stand, so that no one will know she is there.
One of Tilly’s commands is to visit. If asked to do this in a courtroom, for example, she will walk through the rows and stop if people want to pet her. She might sit down next to someone she can sense is in distress.
Johannah Rutschow, victim advocate for the CPD, stated how Tilly’s loud snoring in a courtroom can make a room full of nervous defendants laugh and feel more at ease. Rutschow also described Tilly as her coworker.
Tilly also spends time in dispatch, with officers and at the station with Rutschow.
The donation money will go toward Tilly’s care, including vet appointments, training, upkeep and grooming. She is petted constantly, so she requires more grooming than the average dog.
“Tilly is an amazing addition to Victim Services,” Rutschow said. “She has impacted so many people and kids in our community that are victims of crime.”
The program gave their pitch to the 100 Women Who Care Sedona-Verde Valley Chapter, a charity organization that provides funds to local groups. The organization initially started out with 100 women each giving $100 to a charity, resulting in a huge effect for one organization. The K9 Victim Services Program was chosen for their last giving cycle.
