News & Events

AZ Bar Association annual convention courthouse dog presentation

Description:

We were asked by Prosecutor Alison Ferrante to present at the 2019 AZ Bar Annual Convention after Marla and I presented to Mesa Municipal Prosecutor and Children's Advocacy Center about our work in the courts in 2018. We gave an hour long presentation about HOPE AACR with some extra focus on some of the cases we served through Phoenix Municipal and Town of Gilbert Courts since 2016. The presentation was very well received by a roomful of about 50 lawyers. Many of the audience stayed well into their lunch hour to interact and take photos with the dogs. Several mentioned that they made the best decsion today by choosing this breakout session to attend. They all had huge smiles on their faces!

Alison Ferrante approached me and said she has more time now that she is just at the Mesa office, so she intends to work on policy so that they can begin utilizing us in the Mesa courts. Another attorney approached me and requested several business cards from me because she works with the Chief of Police in Phoenix and wants them to begin utilizing our organization when needed. She said we shoild expect a phonecall from the Chief.

Another attorney asked Beth and I about how to get involved with her dog and requested our contact information. Her email to us is entitled, "I have a dog who wants to do what Cinder does!" I sent her information on how to begin the process.

Wendy commented: "On the way down the long hallway a couple of the lawyers that watched the HOPE presentation said thank you & great presentation. Also, a lawyer there is also an American flight attendant. She wants to help us when we travel and asked questions about what we are classified as & who we have flown on. I told her the rules of each airline has changed so much recently. She asked for my phone number.
If you have ideas of what we’d like her to do as far as HOPE travel if she calls I will include that. I told her we carry a letter at all times with our HOPE insurance & reason for travel."

Marla Martella and Yodi, Beth Ells and Cinder, Wendy Guy and Stella