First Lady Justice presents latest Friends With Paws treatment dog throughout assembly at Oakvale Elementary School

The dog presented at today’s occasion is called Oakley. He is an Apricot and White Labradoodle.

“Today is a very special day for the students and staff of Oakvale Elementary,” First Lady Justice said. “Everyone is so excited to have Oakley, and I couldn’t be happier for them. I know Oakley will provide comfort and support to the students for years to come!”

Therapy dogs are specifically trained to supply convenience and assistance to individuals in numerous tense environments. They can help individuals feel at ease, enhance their state of mind, alleviate stress and anxiety, and get rid of social barriers. Therapy dogs are extremely trained and accredited to reveal their capability to operate in difficult environments, overlook interruptions, and supply treatment to individuals with varied backgrounds and situations.

“We feel so incredibly blessed at Oakvale to have Oakley with us,” Oakvale Elementary School Principal LaCosta Hodges said. “He is going to have such a positive impact on our students’ attendance and social emotional health. Our students have so much love to give, and Oakley will fit in perfectly with our family!”

The Friends With Paws program is a collaboration in between the Governor’s Office, West Virginia CIS Nonprofit, and the West Virginia Department of Education. Therapy dogs are positioned in schools within CIS counties where trainees are disproportionately impacted by hardship, compound abuse, or other at-risk circumstances, and remain in the best requirement of an assistance animal. The dogs function as a healthy and friendly outlet for these trainees to attend to injury and other social-emotional concerns.

Schools that formerly received treatment dogs through the Friends With Paws program consist of:

• Coala male Black Labrador, at Welch Elementary, McDowell County
• Fostera male Golden Labradoodle, at Buckhannon Academy Elementary, Upshur County
• Jaspera female Yellow Labrador, at Lewis County High School, Lewis County
• Rivera male Yellow Labrador, at Pineville Elementary School, Wyoming County
• Shadowa male Black Labrador, at Moorefield Elementary School, Hardy County
• Jeta male Yellow Labrador, at Spring Mills High School, Berkeley County
• Kyloa male Black Labrador, at Lenore PK-8 School, Mingo County
• Winniea female Apricot and White Labradoodle, at Wayne Elementary School, Wayne County
• Kashaa female Yellow Labrador, at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, Pocahontas County
• Marshalla male Cream Labradoodle, at Hinton Area Elementary School, Summers County
• Louiea male Yellow Labrador, at Bridgeview Elementary School, Kanawha County

More details about Friends With Paws can be discovered in Communities In Schools: Friends With Paws, a documentary produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Click HERE to see the documentary.

In addition, research study reveals that the easy act of petting animals launches an automated relaxation reaction. Therapy animals lower stress and anxiety and help individuals unwind, supply convenience, lower isolation, and boost psychological stimulation. They are likewise revealed to lower high blood pressure and enhance cardiovascular health, lower the quantity of medications some individuals require, help control breathing in those with stress and anxiety, and lessen general physical discomfort, to name a few extensive advantages.