On Sunday, Lady Katherine “Cat” and her human, Rick Dunton, successfully completed their certification to become the first official Charlotte Fire Department K-9 therapy team.
The Charlotte Fire Department established their K-9 program in May of 2020 with their first K-9.
Lady Katherine, or “Cat” as she’s most often called, was provided to the Charlotte Fire Department by K-9 Caring Angels Therapy Dogs of Manassas, Va. Cat was born Dec. 29, 2019 and was named after Katherine Hazemey, a Caring Angels volunteer. When Katherine passed away, Caring Angels wanted to honor her with a K-9 that would go on to serve others in her memory.
As the first K-9 in CFD’s program, Cat was assigned to Rick Dunton, fire and life safety educator and K-9 handler for the Charlotte Fire Department.
Cat was assigned to Dunton based on a number of considerations, including interest in the position and its requirements, flexible work schedule, engagement in community and education, and Dunton’s history as a firefighter.