RADNOR — It takes a village to raise a child. The same is true for service dog Coco, whose village is her Delaware County EMS and 9-1-1 dispatch family.
Coco is a chestnut-colored Catahoula Leopard Dog who works as a first-responder therapy dog in Delaware County alongside her owner, 9-1-1 Dispatch Supervisor Karla Jacobs.
She was rescued from a backyard breeder in Kentucky, who stopped caring for her because her coat lacked the spots desired by buyers.
Come Sit & Stay Kennel in Ostrander found Coco and rescued her, quickly realizing she has the temperament suitable for a service dog.
That training led to her becoming one of a handful of 9-1-1 center therapy dogs in Ohio, Jacobs said.
Now Coco is a published “paw”-thor, therapy dog, social media star and certified good girl — all because she was cast away for lacking a spotted coat.
What does Coco do?
Jacobs says a typical day for Coco, which often spans a 12-hour shift, involves hanging out with the responders in the EMS offices upstairs, going for ride-alongs to EMS Station 4 and scouting out someone to give her a treat.
She’ll eat anything, but spoonfuls of peanut butter and cheese are among her favorites.
“She’s in-tune to what goes on in the room. She’ll go put her head on somebody’s lap if they’re dealing with a hot call or she’ll drop a toy next to their foot, just to kind of say, ‘Hey, snap out of it,'” Jacobs said.
But Coco has lots of atypical days, too. She and Jacobs send off veterans on Honor Flights, attend peer support conferences, speak at school assemblies about dog safety and 9-1-1 services…and the list goes on.
“I like to tell the kids when we go to schools that we’re all different, we don’t look alike, we don’t sound alike, we all do different things,” she said.
“Because she doesn’t look like how she was supposed to, she lives her best life doing the non-normal things because she was solid.”
Now Coco has become part of the 9-1-1 dispatch and EMS family. She tags along to hand out cookies on Thanksgiving to the first responders who have to work.
She sleeps in the bunks with Lieutenant Kelly Forney, who is her personal seamstress and favorite aunt.
Her impact spans beyond first responders
Jacobs recalled one time when she and Coco went to a school after the death of a student to offer comfort to grieving students.
One student was initially quiet and standoffish, but after spending 30 minutes with Coco, they started talking about how the death impacted them and sharing their feelings.
Coco interacts with people who just need a little puppy love every day, but perhaps the life she’s touched the most is her mom’s.
“The county administrator at the time took his dogs [to Come Sit & Stay Kennel] and was looking at the time to add a dog for the peer support and things,” Jacobs said. “He approached me about it and I said it wasn’t going to fit, I work a lot.”
When Jacobs finally agreed to meet Coco, the gentle dog crawled into her lap — and she knew she had to say yes.
Since then, Coco has turned Jacobs into a social media expert, posting funny pictures and videos of Coco every day to thousands of fans on Facebook and Instagram.
“I just like making people laugh with the dog stuff I come up with,” Jacobs said.
“At some of the canine events that we go to, I’ve had several people say they sit down in the evening and read Coco’s post, and that’s their puzzle for the day to figure out what she’s trying to say.”
Had Jacobs never agreed to be Coco’s owner, she never would have become involved with organizations across the country related to raising money for service dogs.
“There are so many things I have done with this dog that I never would have experienced in my lifetime ever in a million years. I get goosebumps because it’s truly just been a blessing, and I’m so grateful”
9-1-1 Dispatch Supervisor Karla Jacobs, Coco’s owner
Coco the fundraiser
Coco’s position is entirely funded by donation, via her Amazon wish list, monetary donations, t-shirt fundraisers and more.
Coco will also host another t-shirt drive this June, the first in several years, to raise money to support her work, with more details coming to Facebook soon, Jacobs said.
But she also raises money for other organizations through several initiatives.
As a published author of K9 Coco: A Mission of Love, book sale proceeds go to Ohio Assist, which provides free critical incident recovery seminars to first responders.
Her book details her rescue story, and there’s an accompanying activity book where kids can journal their thoughts and feelings.
“On the back of every activity page, it has her little motto: ‘Tt’s okay to not be okay,'” Jacobs said.
Coco is also planning to support a new organization this year through a K9 and therapy dog meet-and-greet in Williamsburg July 25. Jacobs will post event details on Facebook.
The organization, Bragi’s Legacy Fund raises money to provide equipment, medical needs and support for working and retired police K9s. It honors the legacy of K9 Bragi, who passed away in July 2025.
“When canines retire from the departments they’re with, it’s all on the handler to take responsibility for vet bills or any emergency surgeries,” Jacobs said.
