Lewisburg Elementary School welcomes new therapy dog
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LEWISBURG, WV (WVNS) — Lewisburg Elementary School in Greenbrier County received a therapy dog through the Friends With Paws program on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
First Lady Cathy Justice and Governor Jim Justice made an appearance at an assembly at Lewisburg Elementary School to welcome Pixie, an apricot-colored Labradoodle, as a part of the Friends With Paws program.
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I am so excited to see Pixie put her excellent skills to work here at Lewisburg Elementary. The Friends With Paws therapy dogs don’t fall short when it comes to benefiting our children’s social and emotional well-being. Pixie will fit in just fine here at her new home.
First Lady Justice
Certified therapy dogs are placed at various West Virginia schools by the Friends With Paws program. These therapy dogs help students by offering comfort and companionship, as these dogs are trained to relieve anxiety, make people feel at ease, remove social barriers, and improve the mood of those around them.
We are extremely excited to have Pixie join our school family. She will be an outlet for our students and provide additional support to our most vulnerable students. Therapy dogs are the embodiment of pure empathy.
Sara Bennett | Lewisburg Elementary School Principal
Including Pixie, 22 Friends With Paws therapy dogs have been put in West Virginia schools since February 2024. Therapy dogs are certified and specially trained to work in environments that are stressful, as well as being able to ignore any distractions.
Pixie – Photo Courtesy: First Lady Cathy Justice Pixie – Photo Courtesy: First Lady Cathy Justice Pixie – Photo Courtesy: First Lady Cathy Justice Pixie – Photo Courtesy: First Lady Cathy Justice Pixie – Photo Courtesy: First Lady Cathy Justice
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On behalf of Lewisburg Elementary School students, teachers, staff, parents and Greenbrier County Schools Board of Education, we are ecstatic with joy and grateful hearts with the arrival of Pixie who will be serving LES as their therapy dog. It is a proven fact that therapy dogs have a significant positive impact on students and staff by increasing student and staff attendance, improvement in student achievement, creating a school climate where students experience a sincere sense of a calm, care, and safety. The love that therapy dogs give unconditionally provides students with a positive self-image and inspired self-esteem. The Lewisburg Elementary School Family comprised of students, teachers, staff, parents, caregivers, and community share their love and appreciation to our Honorable Governor Jim Justice and our gracious and loving First lady Cathy Justice for blessing the school with their very own therapy dog “Pixie” who will win the hearts of everyone and become and immediate beloved member of the Lewisburg Elementary School Family!
Jeff Bryant | Greenbrier County Schools Superintendent
Aside from Pixie, the therapy dogs and the schools they have been placed at include:
Coal: Male Black Labrador – Welch Elementary, McDowell County
River: Male Yellow Labrador – Pineville Elementary School, Wyoming County
Kasha: Female Yellow Labrador – Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, Pocahontas County
Marshal: Male Cream Labradoodle – Hinton Area Elementary School, Summers County
Oakley: Male Apricot and Cream Labradoodle – Oakvale Elementary School, Mercer County
Ruby: Female Golden Retriever – Greenbrier East High School, Greenbrier County
Foster: Male Golden Labradoodle – Buckhannon Academy Elementary, Upshur County
Jasper: Female Yellow Labrador – Lewis County High School, Lewis County
Shadow: Male Black Labrador – Moorefield Elementary School, Hardy County
Jet – Male Yellow Labrador – Spring Mills High School, Berkeley County
Kylo: Male Black Labrador – Lenore PK-8 School, Mingo County
Winnie: Female Apricot and White Labradoodle – Wayne Elementary School, Wayne County
Louie: Male Yellow Labrador- Bridgeview Elementary School, Kanawha County
Malfoy: Male Yellow Labrador – Chapmanville Intermediate School, Logan County
Tora: Female Yellow Labrador – Elkins High School, Randolph County
Skye: Female Brown Labradoodle – Berkeley Springs High School, Morgan County
Penny: Female Yellow Labrador – Pendleton County Middle/High School, Pendleton County
Nutter: Male Brown Labrador – Ravenswood High School, Jackson County
Meadow: Female Yellow Labrador – Washington Lands Elementary School, Marshall County
Clara: Female Golden Retriever – Brooke Middle School, Brooke County
Parker: Male Golden Retriever – Wheeling Park High School, Ohio County
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Communities In Schools (CIS) Nonprofit, the West Virginia Department of Education, and the Governor’s Office, West Virginia partnered together for the Friends With Paws program as a way to put therapy dogs into schools in counties in CIS areas.
The schools that receive therapy dogs are in areas where students are affected by at-risk situations such as substance misuse and poverty, and where the students need the support of a four-legged friend. The dogs provide a safe way for students to handle social-emotional issues and trauma.
Information about the Friends With Paws program can be found in a documentary made by West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
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