Owners of dog found after 57 days host thank-you party
If every dog gets its day, then Sept. 15 will belong to 7-year-old border collie, Katie.
This summer, Katie escaped from a Kalispell hotel room, leading her owners Carole and Verne King, of Washington, on a two-month hunt for their beloved canine companion. After 57 days, Carole finally found Katie in a Kalispell neighborhood, thanks in part to the efforts of the local community.
To show their gratitude, the Kings are hosting Katie’s Thank You Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Blue Canyon Restaurant in the Hilton Garden Inn. The Hilton donated the space for the occasion, and even volunteered to put the Kings up for the night at no charge.
Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson is scheduled to speak at the event, where he will declare Sept. 15 Katie’s Day in honor of the community effort that led to her being found.
“After we found Katie, we wanted to thank everybody in Kalispell and the one way we figured we could do it was to throw a party somewhere,” Carole said.
Katie’s tumultuous journey began the evening of July 20. The Kings were visiting the Flathead Valley from Deer Park, Washington, and had gone out to dinner only to come back to find that Katie had escaped from their room at the My Place Hotel.
They searched for days to no avail, but Carole couldn’t fathom returning home without Katie. The former law enforcement officer quit her job with the Postal Service and remained in town for 57 days, searching high and low for Katie. With the help of locals who became fast friends, Carole posted more than 500 fliers around town, set up game cameras and searched into the wee hours of the night for days on end.
Over the course of her quest, the Kalispell community was there for Carole. Multiple Facebook groups popped up to aid in Carole’s search. Users posted information about possible sightings and sent Carole encouraging messages and texts that buoyed her spirits.
She said the experience, and kindness shown to her by complete strangers, changed her outlook on life.
“It just rekindled my faith in humanity. There are good people out there. They are kind and that they want to help,” Carole told the Daily Inter Lake. “This has really changed my views on a lot of stuff. It helped with my faith in God. I’ve made a lot more friends.”
In the wake of the media storm that followed Katie’s discovery, including a spot on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and features in outlets from Australia to Ireland, Carole has been inundated with gifts, calls and messages. Readers in Scotland, Argentina, and Brazil have reached out, and she’s still doing interviews, more than a month after Katie was found.
And then there came the gifts. My Place Hotel sent over seven bags of treats and other goodies, while numerous artists across the country have presented her with portraits of Katie.
“In today’s world, I think that this was a good thing,” Carole said. “It’s a good story amongst the bad.”
It’s also a story that she plans to spread even further. Carole is co-authoring a book about her exhaustive search in hopes of inspiring others. Her co-author will also be at Katie’s thank-you party and wants to hear from members of the community who were involved in the search.
“I sure would like to get the community involved in it. It’s their book,” she said.
As for the dog who started it all, Katie is on the road to recovery.
She had lost 12 pounds in the 57 days she went missing, but has since put on 7 pounds. Carole said her vet wants to see Katie gain another 5 or more pounds.
“She used to be a dog that was — you practically had to beg her to eat — she was very hard to feed. Now I just crinkle a bag and she’s there. Katie has changed toward people. I took her to PetSmart and people were talking up to her and she didn’t shy from them,” Carole said. “Mentally she’s back. She’s still tired a lot, takes a lot of naps, but other than that she feels good. She’s happy.”
Reporter Mackenzie Reiss can be reached at (406) 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.