{"id":431083,"date":"2026-10-18T08:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T08:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/431083\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T08:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T08:26:31","slug":"hearing-dog-jebby-is-set-to-graduate-in-honor-of-orlando-firefighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/431083\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing dog Jebby is set to graduate in honor of Orlando firefighter"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 A hearing dog named in memory of fallen Orlando firefighter Jeff Huggins<\/a> is preparing to graduate and begin helping someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.<\/p>\n

Friends and supporters raised $25,000 following Huggins\u2019 death to name and train a Canine Companions puppy in his honor. They chose \u201cJebby,\u201d Huggins\u2019 nickname at the firehouse.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jebby the hearing dog <\/p>\n

Jebby arrived in Orlando in early 2025 and spent 15 months learning approximately 30 tasks. His training included visits to Orlando and Orange County fire stations before he entered professional training and transferred to Canine Companions\u2019 hearing dog program.<\/p>\n

The organization said Jebby will help his future partner gain greater independence and confidence while also providing companionship.<\/p>\n

Huggins served as a lieutenant with the Orlando Fire Department<\/a>. He died by suicide in April 2024 following a post-traumatic stress-related illness, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. His death was recognized as occurring in the line of duty.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Huggins <\/p>\n

Huggins\u2019 parents are expected to attend Jebby\u2019s graduation alongside members of his fire service family, Orlando\u2019s fire chief and Engine 1, Huggins\u2019 former unit.<\/p>\n

The graduation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at Canine Companions, 8150 Clarcona Ocoee Road in Orlando.<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here<\/a> to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

TOP STORIES FROM WFTV CHANNEL 9<\/p>\n

\u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 A hearing dog named in memory of fallen Orlando firefighter Jeff Huggins is preparing to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[169224,147,145,28,169225,169223,169222,139,4020,141,140,144,146],"class_list":["post-431083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-canine-companions","tag-central-florida","tag-channel-9","tag-florida","tag-hearing-dog","tag-jebby","tag-jeff-huggins","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-fire-department","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-wftv","tag-wftv-channel-9"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}