An Abandoned Puppy Dialed 911 for Help — and Is Rescuing the Dispatcher Who Answered

As a 911 Emergency Communications Supervisor, I help people through some of the worst moments of their lives every day.

911 dispatchers are often called the “first, first responders” because we are there before anyone else.
Before the sirens and the flashing lights, we use every bit of our training, instincts, experience, and compassion to help people survive the moments that matter most.
Although we are not physically present, we are there with you, and when the call ends, it does not always end for us.
Long after the call, we remember your voices, your stories, and the moments that changed lives.
And like many first responders, I live with PTSD, panic attacks, anxiety, and night terrors. I’ve also faced significant physical challenges, including one hip replacement surgery and another scheduled in the coming months.
While I continue showing up for others, there are days when the physical and emotional weight feels overwhelming.
I was attending a Crisis Intervention Stress Management training class to better support myself and my fellow first responders through traumatic events when I heard a story.
A puppy had been abandoned at a fire station. She needed someone to answer her call for a forever home.
What I didn’t know at the time was that, while I thought I was answering her call for help, she was quietly answering a need in my own life that I didn’t even realize existed.
I chose her name carefully because I wanted it to match what I felt the moment I first saw her.
Somehow, I knew we were meant to find each other.
Meet Kismet, my beautiful German Shepherd—the companion fate brought into my life.
Since our first day together, Kismet has become a part of me that I never knew was missing.
For the past two months, Kismet has been settling into her new home and becoming part of my family. Together, we’ve been working on the basics, including potty training, the commands “sit” and “stay,” and working through typical puppy behaviors like mouthing, jumping, and puppy biting.
She is incredibly smart, eager to learn, loving, and full of potential.
She is a young, healthy German Shepherd who is growing quickly and has not quite realized how big and strong she is becoming. Proper training and structure during this stage can make all the difference in the dog she becomes.
As I continue healing from one major surgery while preparing for another, professional guidance has become increasingly necessary. A young shepherd’s excitement can easily become an accidental injury. I need Kismet to learn impulse control, recall, obedience, leash manners, calm behavior, and the foundation skills that will help both of us safely navigate the months ahead.
I believe I have found a training program that is an excellent match for our needs.
Rather than sending Kismet away, this trainer comes directly to our home and works with both of us. The training is customized specifically for our household, my health challenges, my recovery, and Kismet’s individual needs.
This trainer works with dogs while their owners are recovering from injuries or living with physical limitations, teaching safe, practical ways to continue Kismet’s development while also protecting my own recovery.
I’ll learn how to keep Kismet mentally stimulated, fulfilled, exercised, and progressing—even on days when pain, mobility limitations, or recovery make physical activity more difficult.
It isn’t just teaching Kismet how to become the dog I need.
It’s teaching me how to become the handler she deserves, so together we can become the team we were meant to be.
That’s what’s most important to me.
The first step is a customized, in-home, six-month foundation training program that costs approximately $3,800.
But our journey doesn’t end there.
I hope to continue her training into service dog work after she turns one year old.
One of the biggest reasons I hope to continue Kismet’s training into service dog work is the mobility support she can one day provide.
She could assist with mobility-related challenges resulting from both hip replacements by performing tasks tailored to my needs and helping me safely navigate everyday life.
She could also be trained to assist with the daily challenges of living with PTSD, panic attacks, anxiety, and night terrors by recognizing the early signs of a panic attack, interrupting night terrors, providing grounding during moments of overwhelming anxiety, reminding me to stay present, and offering the comfort and reassurance that only a trusted service dog can provide.
The complete journey from companion to fully trained service dog is expected to cost approximately $10,000.
Unfortunately, I have reached a point where I cannot carry the financial weight of it all alone.
Between ongoing medical expenses, preparing for another surgery, time off from work, physical therapy, medical supplies, everyday living expenses, veterinary care, and caring for a growing German Shepherd, I simply cannot afford it all without help.
My goal with this fundraiser is not simply to train a dog, but to build a partnership—because we both need each other.
A partnership that helps Kismet become the best version of herself while helping me continue healing, growing, and moving forward—right beside her.
Every donation, no matter the size, moves Kismet one step closer to becoming the companion and future service dog I believe she can be.
If you are unable to donate, sharing our story is equally appreciated and means more than you know. Sometimes the right person simply needs to see it.
I am also grateful for referrals, resources, information on grants, nonprofit programs, first responder assistance programs, discounted veterinary services, training opportunities, pet-related scholarships, or organizations that may be able to help us along the way.
I will continue sharing updates through pictures and videos throughout Kismet’s journey, including her progress in training, milestones we reach together, surgery recovery updates, and her continued development toward becoming a well-trained companion and, hopefully, a future service dog.
Kismet may have been abandoned, but she was already needed and loved.
I thought I was rescuing her.
Now, every day, I realize she has been rescuing me too.
Every day at work, I answer other people’s calls for help.
Today, with humility and hope, I’m answering one of my own.
Whether you donate, share our story, or simply keep us in your thoughts and prayers, thank you for becoming part of Kismet’s journey—and mine.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story, for sharing it, for supporting us, and for believing in what Kismet and I are building together.
With gratitude,
A proud 911 Emergency Communications Supervisor and the puppy who found her. ❤️