PALM COAST, Fla. – Kissable Katie, a Standard Poodle, has been selected the winner of the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). Kissable Katie won the category of Service Dog. In its 25th year, the ACE Awards celebrate five loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and communities.
The winners in each category were featured in a special broadcast titled AKC HEROES: 2024 AWARDS FOR CANINE EXCELLENCE which aired Sunday, December 15th at 6:00pm ET on ESPN2. The special will re-air on Tuesday, December 24th at 4:00pm ET.
Kissable Katie is a seeing-eye guide dog and medical alert dog for her owner, Jill Dempsey. Kissable Katie warns Dempsey before an epileptic seizure and helps ease her anxiety. Dempsey couldn’t leave the house for years, afraid that her blindness, anxiety and seizures would cause problems. That all changed with Kissable Katie.…