Meet Melissa and Davie!

VSS is proud to announce that we have a new all regions advocate and court house dog!  Melissa and Davie are the latest members of the VSS family and we are excited to share this amazing news with you all. 

Melissa grew up in Iowa on a small hobby farm with horses. She participated in 4H and high school rodeo. She attended the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication with a minor in Psychology.

She has lived in California for a few years before to moving to Washington. Prior to being hired by VSS, she worked in law enforcement for 11 years.

“My passion for helping others, especially victims of crime, is what led me to apply for the position with VSS.” -Melissa

Her hobbies are running, yoga, hiking, reading and spending time outdoors. Her and her husband also love to travel to other countries and spend time on their boat fishing, crabbing and shrimping. They have another dog named Allegra and now they have welcomed Davie to their family. 

Davie is a two year old yellow lab and some of his favorite hobbies are napping, chewing on sticks and chasing Allegra in our backyard. He is a certified facility dog through the Courthouse Dogs Foundation (www.courthousedogs.org). He completed his training with Brigadoon Service Dogs in Bellingham, WA. 

For those who do not know, a facility dog is defined by Courthouse Dogs as the following:

“A courthouse facility dog is a professionally trained assistance dog, suitable for providing quiet companionship to individuals in legal settings without causing any disruption of the proceedings. As legally neutral companions for victims and witnesses during the investigation and prosecution of crimes, these dogs help individuals feel willing and able to describe what happened and also provide emotional support.”

Davie can assist in the following situations:

  • Police interviews
  • Prosecutor or defense interviews
  • Forensic interviews
  • Courtroom proceedings 
  • Trials
  • Counseling appointments
  • Any other situation that provides support to a victim or witness of a crime

This is an amazing step for VSS and our ability to support our clients. We are so grateful to have Melissa and Davie on our team!

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Speak with a trained advocate who can provide assistance with needs resulting from victimization.  Call by clicking below! 

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Testimonials

"With the help of VSS, you are empowered and encouraged to fight back and be pro-active. Then your conscience can be more at peace because you know you have taken some action to protest crimes inflicted on your loved one. It is sometimes your only consolation."

“The one takeaway for me in working with VSS is that it is a necessary organization. I know they are funded by grants and fundraisers but it’s something we need to make sure as a community that they have the funding needed because what they do for people in need doesn’t happen anywhere else. This is the only place that this happens and VSS helps with so many things.”

David Rose

Anchor, Q13 News and Host, Washington’s Most Wanted

“VSS is there when the unthinkable happens.  When a police officer knocks on your door and gives you tragic news, VSS helps navigate the court system, which can be very confusing. VSS is compassion, caring, and commitment. Commitment to once justice is done that victims and their families can move forward with their lives.”

Jennifer Gregerson

Mayor, City of Mukilteo

“VSS has been our partner in recovery and healing and a key part in what makes Mukilteo Strong. VSS has been a trusted advocate for the victims that have suffered so much in the community.  I’m so grateful to VSS as our partner in strength.”

Jon Nehring

Mayor, City of Marysville

“VSS is there for people in their darkest hour. At a time when they need an advocate and friend, VSS steps in to fill that gap and help them begin their journey back to some sense of normalcy.” 

Myrle Carner

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound

“This thing about closure. There is never really closure in a victim’s life but VSS helps individuals to get closer to that and that’s critical because the cops and the judicial system just move on to another case because they don’t have time. Victims live with this trauma forever so VSS is with them for as long as they need the services. VSS takes the time, more importantly, they really care."

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