Joe Flores, a Competition Management Volunteer in Dallas, relies on his service dog Kiki to manage serious health and mobility challenges
Kiki is trained to detect changes in Joe's heart rate and to alert him during sleep apnea episodes, allowing him to volunteer safely
Argentina defender Nicolás Tagliafico met Kiki following his side’s pre-match press conference on 26 June, later sharing a photo of her on social media
Man's best friend is usually found by the fireside, not on FIFA World Cup 2026™ duty. But Kiki, the service dog of Dallas, Texas volunteer Joe Flores, has spent the past weeks at the heart of the greatest show on Earth – quietly working behind the scenes to keep her best friend safe.
Flores, 49, is a Competition Management volunteer at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Dallas. By his side throughout every match day, also wearing a volunteer t-shirt, is Kiki, whose training allows Joe to continue volunteering despite serious health and mobility challenges.
Joe and Kiki became key members of FIFA's Starting Lineup volunteer programme, joining preparations for the tournament nearly a year before it began and supporting the volunteer selection process. As a Competition Management volunteer, Joe helps prepare competition kits and inspects operational areas, tasks that contribute to the smooth delivery of competition operations. Kiki, for her part, supports Joe by monitoring his mobility and detecting changes in his heart rate, allowing him to volunteer safely.
Kiki was a rescue from the Prairie Paws Adoption Shelter in Grand Prairie, Texas, before entering a training programme and becoming Joe's service animal. She has been with him for eight years. Recalling how the partnership began, Joe said: “I knew she was special right from the start.”
Kiki was first trained to respond to Joe's severe obstructive sleep apnea, alerting him if his breathing equipment stops working during the night. As Joe later developed heart failure, she was trained further, learning to detect when his blood pressure or heart rate becomes too high. Joe explained that Kiki's role extends well beyond companionship: “She really plays a part in protecting my life, not just as a pet and a best friend, but she really does save my life every day.”
Joe, who previously served on the host committee for the Super Bowl in New Orleans, said that volunteering at the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been a different experience altogether, given the number of matches and events taking place across the tournament.
Kiki, he said, was quickly welcomed into the volunteer team: “Kiki was given her T-shirt because, early on, they recognised that she was going to be an important part of our family here. And we truly are a family with the FIFA World Cup volunteer community and the team.”
Following Argentina's pre-match press conference on 26 June, their left-back Nicolás Tagliafico met Kiki and spent a few moments with her, later sharing a photograph of her on social media. Joe recalled that the player asked to say hello to Kiki after noticing she was a service animal, adding that the moment brought fresh recognition for his companion: “Life just took a whole different direction for us because now Kiki is being recognised and appreciated and respected by everyone.”
Reflecting on the volunteer experience as the tournament continues, Joe said: “So when the tournament is over, I hope everyone remembers what every volunteer actually committed to this event, and every one of the matches and all of the events that we held here in Dallas.”
Joe and Kiki's story is a reminder of the inclusion at the heart of the FIFA World Cup 2026, bringing together people of all abilities and lived experiences. In this case celebrating the extraordinary bond between a person and a service dog – and the unsung contributions that make the tournament possible behind the scenes.