Kissable Katie Recognized As an Extremely Good Dog

At year’s end the American Kennel Club recognized five very good dogs in its annual Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence. The categories include Exemplary Companion, Search and Rescue, Service Dog, Therapy Dog, and Uniformed Service K-9.

While all five winners are tremendously good dogs, we’d like to highlight the achievements of the Service Dog winner, Kissable Katie. This talented standard poodle is not only a seeing-eye dog, but also serves as a medical alert for her companion, Jill Dempsey.

For nearly thirty years Dempsey, who is legally blind and suffers from epilepsy and anxiety, was housebound until she teamed up with Katie in 2015. There was some concern that the poodle, though highly intelligent, would be bored with the mundane tasks attendant to service.

Far from bored, Kissable Katie showed off a special skill set while the pair was still in training. During a visit to the doctor’s office, the dog noticed something was off with her human. “Katie started barking and went to get a nurse,” Dempsey says. “Three minutes later, I had an epileptic seizure.”

So they trained Katie to call 911 by pressing a medical alert button when Dempsey has a seizure. She can also let the EMTs into the house when they arrive.

Dempsey, 58, is now a civilian Citizen Observer Patrol Dispatcher, which is quite an achievement for a blind person if you think about it. She also participates in Western reenactments and shooting contests (!) with Katie by her side, even taking first place in the 2017 Florida State Ladies Champion Cowboy Fast Draw competition.

Kissable Katie is an alum of Freedom Guide Dogs, a non-profit based in Cassville, New York that raises, trains, and places service dogs (at no cost to the recipients). Donate here.

Photo credit: Jill Dempsey/AKC