Katie Leemon: Champ Assistance Dog Trainer
- Apr 20
- 4 min read
Katie’s broad smile proceeds her into the room. Her calming presence with puppies, dogs and humans is immediately noticeable. I met (or rather observed) Katie at a puppy raiser training class in December. I watched as she handled, managed, and inspired puppies and humans all at the same time while remaining completely relaxed. Listen to our StoryCorps interview here: Champ Assistance Dog Trainer: Katie Leemon – StoryCorps Archive
In training classes and when working with puppies and people, Katie is patient and focused. “It’s juggling the needs of people and puppies at the same time. Everyone responds to authenticity and being present in the moment. Animals and humans respond to that.”
Katie’s journey to Champ began years ago when she was younger and trying to fit in anywhere she could. A good student, she found herself lonely and bullied, and somewhere along the way, even with a scholarship to Lindenwood she made enough bad decisions to find herself incarcerated. She felt broken and depressed and didn’t know if she could ever redeem herself. She knew that working with animals might offer a chance to work through her issues and find forgiveness for herself. Yet, she didn’t know if she could shoulder the responsibility of a puppy.
“The minute I saw Opal, I knew I could do it. I was going to do it for her. Even if I couldn’t be responsible, I knew she could. Opal was a sixteen-week-old tiny terrier, And she was not a well-behaved puppy. I learned many lessons and together we overcame so many issues. We had shared success and Opal ended up being a good service dog.”
It was in those moments that Katie understood she was not a lost cause. And she wanted to do good in her life.
Showing strength and resilience while working with Opal, Katie says, “I was getting ready to be released and had a job offer before I left. When you come home, you’re trying to rebuild your life, and a big part is acceptance from the community. You want to find a positive place to be. It’s nice to be in a place and be treated as a regular human being.”
Today Katie works at Champ, where everyone’s life is changed for the better. The puppy raisers, volunteers, clients, and trainers. “We’ve created a community.”
At Champ Katie’s responsibilities include leading the operation of the prison program. The service dog training program has the puppies spending half their time in the institution and half their time with puppy raisers. She’s responsible for the facilitation of the program. This includes matching puppy raisers with pups and resident trainers. And delivering a well-rounded education for everyone involved. Both canines and humans.
She is also involved with the education presentations in schools, often talking about how puppies think. When we share this, we talk about this can apply to everybody.
Katie also feels she is an Ambassador for the program. “Every person we come into contact with we have the opportunity to touch in positive way. Be a positive part of someone’s day. When we are kind, we can make their whole day.” She never hesitates to be the bright spot in someone’s day.
In addition, she sees Champ as having a broader impact. “It’s restorative justice. And rehabilitation for the ladies. Through the service dog program, the ladies learn life skills, compassion, empathy, self-esteem, and the importance of being professional. We try to show that if you work hard, you can change your life. I’m an example of that.”
Before she was released, Katie received a cancer diagnosis. (she’s fine now) “This was meant as a reminder: don’t squander this opportunity. I try to be intentional and present in every moment. You only have a certain number of days. I know how important it is to appreciate every moment and say yes to possibilities. Every day I’m excited to see what the day will bring.”
After all these years working with puppies and dogs, Katie shares hard-earned insight:
-When a dog looks at you, they don’t see anything you’ve done. They just see YOU. This is important especially when we’ve been through a lot. They heal people.
-Dogs are medicine. They heal parts of your soul.
-Puppies and dogs believe you when you say something. Be present.
-They will change the course of your life.
-You can’t fake it with a puppy.
-Trainers don’t give up. There’s always a way to teach a human and a puppy.
-While this has become second nature to me, I understand the broader impact. Maybe what we tried didn’t work, but we don’t give up. This is an important skill to learn. It isn’t what we planned, but maybe this puppy learns in a different way. Everybody is worthwhile.
-Often, we are giving life back to clients when we place a puppy. They help with life skills, assisting in independent living.
-Our therapy dogs bring joy and comfort in all situations including universities, courthouses for child advocacy and infusion centers. Our dogs help bring justice, healing, and comfort which we see as preventive on all sides including those who have been victimized.
-Champ has 100 or more therapy teams touching individual lives, future generations and promoting ability awareness.
-The humans, puppy raisers and trainers are working hard to make an impact on our community.
-Puppy raisers are the ultimate givers. They have to give a piece of their heart away. It is such a heart centered action.
-The canine-human bond is magical, other worldly.
-Dogs bring people together.
“The best advice I’ve received is simple: treat everyone like a puppy. Be kind to people. Forgive them when they mess up. Give them grace and encouragement. Celebrate what they do well. Dogs live authentically in the moment, and there’s a lot we can learn from that. They remind us to appreciate small things, to be present, and to approach life with curiosity and joy. There is wonder and meaning everywhere if we’re willing to slow down and notice it.”
Thank you to Katie Leemon for her time, energy, smiles and life advice.
Expect Good. Defy Gravity. Sparkle ON! More puppies please!
For more St. Louis Girl Storytelling blogs and St. Louis Girl Podcasts and Interviews and to find out how I empower people to discover and use their voice through storytelling:
For more information: https://www.champdogs.org/
Photos by Jill Gray of Higher Focus Photography https://www.higherfocus.net/
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