Keith Shoup
Keith Shoup was born in Seattle, WA. and graduated from Pasco High School in Pasco, WA. Growing up he had many animals, ranging from cows and horses to cats, lizards and over 30 dogs to care for. After graduating from Pasco High School he moved to Divide, CO where he volunteered at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center until he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2010.
Keith was selected as a Tactical Aircraft Maintainer for the F-16C and was stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy for 2 years before being sent to Hill Air Force Base until 2018. During his service he received numerous awards and completed 5 tours overseas to include Afghanistan, Kandajar, and Iraq. Additionally, while at Hill AFB he set up a reptile humanitarium for anyone who needed help and care with their animals.
Following his service he attended an apprenticeship program through Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) for 4 years. There he trained service dogs that would eventually be paired with people with various disabilities. Seeing the impact that service dogs had on the lives of PTSD veterans and kids with disabilities, he decided to stay the course and make it a career. He has since then been training under Wendy Dek in the hopes that he too can make difference in the lives of pets and there owners.