A Biography by Executives Diary Magazine
Leadership Profile: Janeen Baggette
Janeen Baggette is a nationally recognized K9 trainer, nonprofit founder, and former law enforcement officer who continues to serve as a Reserve Police Officer for a small agency in North Texas, dedicated to transforming first responder wellness through specialized Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) K9 programs. As Founder and Chairman of K9’s For Freedom & Independence and owner of K9 Peak Performance LLC, she has spent more than a decade raising national standards for trauma-informed K9 deployment. A combat veteran, LVN, EMT, and lifelong public safety advocate, Janeen continues to empower agencies and communities through training, education, and compassionate leadership.
When Courage Met Compassion
She still remembers the moment she realized something had to change. After years serving on the front lines of military operations and law enforcement, Janeen Baggette found herself standing in the quiet of her own home, feeling the weight of the world settling heavily on her shoulders. The same strength that had carried her through chaos suddenly felt strained. Yet instead of breaking, she chose a new path, one defined not by the uniform she wore but by the people and communities she knew she could still lift. In that moment, courage and compassion came together, and the early foundations of K9’s For Freedom & Independence began to take shape.
A Life Shaped by Service
Janeen’s story begins in Southern California, surrounded by large family gatherings filled with cousins, grandparents, and the joyful noise of a close-knit community. Those early experiences created the belief that connection and support are essential to well-being, a belief that would guide her throughout her career.
After moving to Northern California and completing high school, Janeen joined the United States Air Force. Her training in Medical Administration and Aeromedical Evacuation through the Community College of the Air Force sparked the start of a lifetime of service. She immersed herself in disciplines that required precision, readiness, and an unwavering commitment to others.
Over the years, her professional training expanded into an impressive collection of credentials, including Emergency Medical Technician certification, Licensed Vocational Nurse licensure, Weapons of Mass Destruction response courses, DHS Train-the-Trainer certification, advanced search and rescue credentials, critical infrastructure protection courses, and numerous specialized K9 certifications. Whether she was stabilizing patients after disasters, securing emergency compounds, instructing medical teams, or working alongside law enforcement, Janeen quickly became known for her expertise in field medicine, crisis response, security operations, and incident command. She also continues her commitment to public safety today, serving as a Reserve Police Officer for a small agency in North Texas, ensuring her work remains connected to the realities first responders face in the field.
Although her training was extensive, her most defining lessons came through experience. She witnessed the emotional toll of traumatic environments, the strain placed on first responders, and the unseen injuries that accumulated over time. These experiences shaped not only her leadership but her mission.
Transforming Trauma Into Purpose
By 2011, Janeen recognized a growing crisis within public safety. First responders across the country were suffering under the weight of unaddressed trauma, overwhelming stress, and workplace cultures that rarely prioritized mental health. Many people walked away from careers that once inspired them. Others struggled silently, with outcomes that were far more tragic. Janeen could not ignore what she was seeing.
This became the catalyst for creating K9’s For Freedom & Independence. What began as a simple idea grew into a nationwide movement centered on helping first responders, veterans, and individuals living with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. Janeen believed that rescued dogs, many of whom had endured their own challenges, could become powerful partners in healing. Through dedicated training, they could serve as grounding companions, emotional stabilizers, and highly skilled deployment-ready K9s.
These K9s were trained not as therapy dogs but as Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) K9s. Their capabilities extended far beyond comfort. They could interrupt panic responses, recognize signs of stress, respond to cortisol changes, and operate on scene during high-pressure events. The certification process, now conducted through the Alliance for Emergency Response Instructors & Examiners (AERIE), established a new national standard rooted in professionalism, compliance, and legal accountability. These standards were designed to protect agencies and ensure every K9 team met rigorous expectations connected to HIPAA, CJIS, FLSA requirements, and applicable federal law.
Under Janeen’s leadership, CIRT K9 teams began to appear in agencies across the United States. Police departments, sheriffs’ offices, communications centers, and public safety organizations discovered the impact these dogs could make in moments of crisis. Her training seminars, hands-on courses, and national certification workshops became sought after by agencies from coast to coast.
Through her second venture, K9 Peak Performance LLC, Janeen expanded her ability to support departments by providing specialized training, detection K9s, and tailored consulting. Both her nonprofit and her business reflect her commitment to raising the national standard for public safety K9 programs.
A National Influence
Janeen’s work has helped redefine what emotional support and operational readiness look like within first responder agencies. Her influence can be seen in several key areas of impact.
A Voice for First Responder Wellness
Janeen brings an unmistakable honesty to conversations about mental health. She speaks openly about the challenges first responders face, often emphasizing that “we must do better.” Her willingness to address issues that others avoid has made her a respected and credible advocate for cultural change.
A New Model for K9 Preparedness
Her CIRT K9 program prepares dogs to work on scene during mass casualty incidents, officer-involved shootings, traumatic interviews, and other high-stress operations. These K9s offer support grounded in research, public safety best practices, and detailed operational procedures.
Strategic Collaborations
Janeen’s partnership with Project K9 Hero expanded retirement support eligibility for CIRT K9s, ensuring long-term care for these invaluable service animals. This collaboration reflects her belief that service does not end when the vest comes off.
Education and National Training
Janeen teaches at major conferences such as IACP and the National CIRT Conference. Her sessions on liability, legal expectations, case law, best practices, and operational training are attended by leaders from federal, state, and local agencies. She has become a national resource for agencies looking to advance or establish their K9 programs.
A Life Philosophy Rooted in Empathy
Her message often returns to a simple guiding belief: “Be the person in someone else’s life that you wish you would have had.” It is a philosophy woven into every program she leads and every community she serves.
Personal Healing and Renewed Purpose
Despite years of service, it took time for Janeen to recognize the toll her journey had taken. The pressures of combat, emergency response, and law enforcement created lingering health challenges. Eventually, she made the courageous choice to prioritize her own well-being. As she explains it, “I chose me.”
She attended a first responder retreat, sought support for traumatic brain injuries, and rebalanced her life with greater intentionality. This period of renewal did not pull her away from the mission. Instead, it deepened her commitment to ensuring that others receive the help she once struggled to allow herself to seek.
Her healing journey has become a mirror for the countless responders she now serves, showing them that choosing wellness is a sign of strength.
A Vision for Lasting Change
Janeen’s vision for the future is clear. She wants CIRT K9 programs to be a recognized standard across the country. She aims to expand her national seminars, strengthen agency partnerships, and advocate for policies that support peer teams and mental health programs within law enforcement and public safety.
Her rallying call remains constant: bold italics “If not you, then who?” It is a question she asks of leaders, communities, and agencies who want to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who protect others.
Editorial Note:
K9’s For Freedom & Independence represents far more than a nonprofit organization. It stands as a symbol of resilience, innovation, and compassion. It reflects one woman’s determination to transform her own experiences into a national movement dedicated to healing the heroes who safeguard our communities.
Janeen Baggette has not only built an organization. She has built a pathway to recovery, a standard for professional excellence, and a future where first responders have access to the tools and support they deserve. Her legacy is defined by service, empathy, and the unwavering belief that every life affected by trauma deserves a chance to heal.
Readers and leaders who believe in the importance of mental wellness for first responders are encouraged to learn more, support a training program, or partner with K9’s For Freedom & Independence. Your engagement can help strengthen the network of support available to the individuals who place their lives on the line for others.
