United Kingdom, Feb. 25 -- Katherine Short spoke publicly about living with "mental illness" and the support she received from her service dog in the years before her death.

Katherine, a clinical social worker based in Hollywood Hills, California, was found dead at her home in the Hollywood Hills, California, on Monday (23.02.26) at about 6pm local time from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On her since-deleted professional website, Katherine wrote about her dog, Joni - named after the singer Joni Mitchell, saying: "Joni is my incredible service dog, who has been assisting me with my own struggles with mental illness for the past 5 years.

"Joni will often be in the office with me, cuddled up on her bed. She is an absolute swee...