First Lady Justice and the Communities In Schools Program oversee a West Virginia non-profit initiative called, “Friends with Paws." This program works with selected schools to provide an expertly trained therapy dog.
"Friends with Paws" dogs are "trained extensively at Ultimate Canine in Westfield, Indiana where owner Julie Case has created a state of the art 20 step temperament test to evaluate and identify the in-born natural traits of dogs. With over 27 years of experience testing thousands of puppies and dogs around the world, Julie and her expert trainers are able to determine if certain dogs could become school therapy dogs in the future."
Innumerable hours go into training these dogs before they are homed with a primary handler. In this case, the primary handler will be Wheeling Park High School Associate Principal, Adrienne Richards. Our therapy dog, Parker, a Golden Retriever, will live and travel to school daily with Adrienne. There will also be three other trained secondary handlers at the school who have met the requirements to oversee Parker.
The Communities in Schools, also known as the CIS program, provides the initial upfront fees for Parker, and Parker will come vaccinated for one year as well as with liability insurance. The Wheeling Veterinary Associates group has agreed to sponsor Parker for all his veterinary needs and any additional health services. Ashton’s Grooming and Dog Spa has graciously offered to handle Parker’s grooming. WPHS's handlers will continue to oversee Parker's care as he completes his daily work: offering a safe and happy environment for our students.
We are looking forward to joining the other 19 counties in WV that have therapy dogs through this program, and we had an awesome time today hosting a "Pup Rally" welcoming Parker to Wheeling Park!
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