2025 Volunteer of the Year: Carol Morrison
- Hilary Campbell
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Carol Morrison was New Life K9s’ 2025 Volunteer of the Year. She’s began her puppy raising journey in 2019.
How it Started
Carol is a resident at Trilogy® at Monarch Dunes. Their service club was looking for non-profit projects and decided to sponsor three service dogs at New Life K9s. To raise the $10,000 sponsorship per dog, the service club appealed for donations and held various fundraising events. These included a silent auction of items ranging from training gift certificates from Gentle Touch and dog portraits by an incarcerated individual at California Men’s Colony. They also held an American Mahjong tournament and donated proceeds from a bunco game.
The service club sponsored three dogs over 6 years. These dogs were Miss T, Monarch, and Holly. Carol didn’t just stop there; she completed the puppy raiser training and became the volunteer raiser for all three dogs sponsored by Trilogy.
When Carol started, a Puppy Raiser Volunteer committed to taking their dog home for outings only during weekends. In 2023, the format of the Puppy Raiser Volunteer Program underwent changes so that Holly was not part of the original program. In our current program, volunteers take a puppy for six months at a time. The goal remains the same: exposure, training, and a safe home environment.
Miss T
Carol’s first New Life K9s dog was Miss T. T for Trilogy, the name of her residential community. Together Carol and Miss T, a yellow labrador, had great experiences. Accompanying Carol’s neighbor and her neighbor’s guide dog, Carol and Miss T flew to Yellowstone for a week-long vacation. Miss T also went to an outdoor Shakespeare performance in the park. Adding to her resume, Miss T was cat-friendly as she became good friends with Carol’s cat. Carol remembers Miss T fondly as quite the snorer.
Miss T was placed as a Warrior Companion Dog with a first responder couple in Santa Barbara.
Monarch
Monarch, named after the Butterfly, was nicknamed by her CMC handlers as “Queenie”. A red labrador, Monarch became a Warrior Companion Dog for a local Marine. She continues to enjoy being at the beach with her family. Monarch’s brother, Kai, is now a facility dog with Captain Wennerstrom and the Santa Maria Fire Department. Kai was recently in the Palisades Fire and was stationed in the kids’ camp.
Holly
Holly, a black labrador, became a facility dog. She now lives with an officer and “gets to run on the beach, which, for her, is just fabulous.” Holly is part of the Santa Barbara Police Department for a very important role. She serves in the Sexual Abuse and Sexual Crimes Unit and helps support the children and women during the interview and investigative process.
For some people considering being a Puppy Raiser Volunteer, a stumbling block is having to let go of the dog. It is indeed bittersweet. Carol, however, shared that remembering where the dogs are intended to go and the reason why was her focus. Also, she honors that it is a training program with a heavy investment. In Carol’s case, she also had a responsibility to the donors and the service club.
“I know she’s going to such a good place, it’s not hard.” - Carol, speaking of the dogs.
Before retiring, Carol was in high-tech marketing and appreciates a good training program. With New Life K9s, she found a well-constructed program she could rely on. As part of her commitment, she brought her dogs to the New Life K9s office for training and met with other Puppy Raisers. Their training focused on public and house manners.
Being out in the public with the New Life K9s dog, Carol also helped serve as a public ambassador. She enjoyed bringing awareness to the program and the help available for Veterans and First Responders living with PTSD. People of all ages approached her and the dogs. Monarch, being a red labrador, especially attracted a lot of interest as red is an uncommon color. Carol welcomed these opportunities to talk about New Life K9s and to show off the dog’s manners.
We thank Carol for being a Puppy Raiser Volunteer for four New Life K9s dogs. Currently, Carol is no longer full time raising, but still contributes to the mission by being a short-term raiser as needed. Right now, Carol is caring for Kristy, a beautiful one-year-old red labrador who is awaiting her placement as a Warrior Companion dog.
Carol is now a Foster Advocate and works with children. She looks forward to traveling more as well. We wish her all the best.
New Life K9s is an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International and of Association of Service Dogs Providers. Learn more about our program and volunteer opportunities.