On Feb. 24, news broke that Martin Short‘s daughter, Katherine Short, had battled with depression and mental health issues for some time before her tragic death. Since then, we’ve learned more about the 42-year-old, who, according to those who knew her, was full of compassion and love for others.
One such person is Rande Levine, the founder of Karma Rescue. Despite her career as a social worker, Katherine loved animals and, at one point, served on Karma Rescue’s board.
How Katherine Short Converted Her Dad to Loving Pit Bulls Despite His Initial Shock
Levine told the Daily Mail that Katherine always found time to work for the dog rescue, no matter how busy she was. But she was also aware of Katherine’s own struggles.
“She’d say, ‘I won’t be around, I’m going away,” Levine recalled about the years between 2010 and 2020. “She’d go check into some place to boost her up again.”
“I knew she was battling with this,” she continued. “She would talk about it. But you would never know based on how she presented herself, and how funny she was.”
According to Levine, Katherine adored dogs and even got her dad to change his mind about one particular breed after she adopted Charlie.
“She told her dad, ‘I just adopted a pit bull,” she remembered. “He was like, ‘I think I would rather you told me you are dating somebody in ISIS. But she introduced Charlie to Martin and he fell in love. She showed me a video of him and the dog lying in bed together cuddling.”
“I feel so sad for her dad. They were so close,” she added. “He was so supportive of her and a big part of her life,” she said. “When we’d talk on the phone or email, he was always involved with her, being a supportive dad.”
Katherine Short’s Service Dog Joni: A Comfort Through Years of Mental Health Battles
In her now-deleted counseling website, Katherine’s bio revealed that she had a service dog named after singer Joni Mitchell. She got the dog after Charlie died.
“Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years,” she wrote. She went on to describe how Joni would sit in on during patient visits.
“Joni will often be in the office with me, cuddled up on her bed,” Katherine added. “She is an absolute sweetheart and just LOVES people, so don’t be surprised if she greets you with a smile, a wagging tail…and maybe even a kiss.”
