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    PHOTO BY GARY ZUPANCIC/WIMBERLEY VIEW Cassidy Heineman a junior at WHS and 9-week-old Zest beginning his training as a service dog.
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    Dripping Springs Graemsen Bauld and pup Zen.
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    Wimberley FFA Advisor Tiffany Black holds Zeal.
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    Zane Shuebroek and Zing before he donned his superhero cape.
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    Wimberley Advisor Jason Geisen holds Zuzay.
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    KXAN was there to film the pups while they go through their first training lessons,

SUPERHERO IN TRAINING

FFA helps train service dogs

Photos by Gary Zupancic/Wimberley View

Six area FFA members are raising and training puppies to be more than just a household pet. Much, much, more. The Dripping Springs and Wimberley high schoolers are to raise the puppies until the they are ready for their next, more advanced training in the pups’ quests to be superheroes.

The puppies are in training to be service dogs, but not just any service dog, ones that are able to detect when a type 1 diabetics will have an emergency. At the end of the training that is when they become Diabetic Alert dogs, superheroes saving lives.

The organization Freedom Canines is a non-profit formed in 2015 by Todd and Becky Kier who are responsible for overseeing the puppies and their new handlers. When the pups are fully trained, they’ll be able to detect a diabetic attack or blood sugar issue that can happen to their masters.

“The dog would be able to sense an attack and wake people up when they are sleeping or when they are going to drive a car and warn of a dangerous situation,” Becky Kier of Freedom Canines said.

The students will handle the first part of the pups’ training, socialization and getting the them to bond with one person. The dogs will attend high school classes with the kids and learn how to react in different social situations, including a high school classroom with a lot of people while bonding with their trainers.

The nine-week-old pups are all siblings and with names starting with Z.

Their mother is Shine, a two–year-old retriever, who is a part of the foundation.

“The impact of these pups is to empower people , both the kids and clients, which will lead to a better quality of life (for the clients) and it is a real life learning project for the kids,” Becky said.

Freedom Canines still needs volunteers in Dripping Springs and Wimberley. For more information or to volunteer, please call (512) 648-1027

Wimberley View

P.O. Box 49
Wimberley, TX 78676
Phone: 512-847-2202
Fax: 512-847-9054