ADA, Mich. — Forest Hills Public Schools launched a new program aimed at helping students with their mental health while at school.
FOX 17 went to Ada Vista Elementary School Tuesday to meet the school's new support dog — 10-month-old Jersey.
"She is bilingual because we are a Spanish immersion school," Behavioral Support Aid Abby Garcia explained.
Garcia uses the Golden Retriever-Lab mix every day to help students deal with the stresses of school.
"It is really great just because sometimes, there are kids who get hurt on the playground or just having a bad day, things are just not going great. Sometimes, we just have someone who's just struggling. They can come down to the office [and] pet Jersey," Garcia said.
It took about a year of planning to get Jersey and, though she has only been at the school for about a week, many students already are seeing and feeling the benefits.
"It's helped a lot because, like, people feel more comfortable," fourth-grader Julian said. "It looks like they feel more comfortable at school if they maybe had some problems, but now, they feel comfortable when, like, Jersey is near or, like, they just feel better."
"If she is wearing her bandanna, she is working and you can pet her. And if she is on her mat or bed, you can pet her," added fourth-grader Agnes.
Not only does Jersey help students, but also, staff members love having her around, too.
"Throughout the day, I'll just lay down with her and put my head on her chest and just, kind of, take a moment to reset," Principal Allison Woodside said. "In a way, Jersey provides what's really hard for us to do as adults. I think sometimes we tend to try and solve people's problems by talking, and she solves your problems just by simply being there."
Forest Hills Public Schools says its long-term plan is to have a support dog in each of the district's elementary schools. Orchard View Elementary is set to be next.
