Therapy dog to serve students at Clarksville High School

May 19—CLARKSVILLE — A training therapy dog is already making a difference in the Clarksville High School community as he prepares to serve students with their social and emotional needs.

A black and white "sheepadoodle" named Arlo is preparing to become a therapy dog at Clarksville High School, and he should be certified by the end of July in time for the next school year. He is half Old English Sheepdog and half poodle, and he will be the school's first therapy dog.

Arlo belongs to Jill Sammons, a counselor at Clarksville High School who is also serving as the dog's handler in school. He is now at Renaissance Academy, where he has limited access to students.

Sammons said a couple years ago, she got a sheepadoodle puppy named Luna she was hoping to train as a therapy dog.

"We started talking with the principal, and she liked the idea, but Luna went through training once and then twice, and they just deemed that she was not fully appropriate — she's very sweet, very great with people, but she gets a little overexcited," she said. "She's high energy."

She gave up on the idea for a while. When one of her family's dogs died last January, Luna was "depressed and pretty much mourning," so they adopted Arlo as a pet.

Sammons soon learned that Arlo's calm demeanor was well-suited for a therapy dog.

"My husband was like, we've got to get her a dog, so actually, he was a dog for my other dog, and when we took him to training, the people at the training center said, now this one is your therapy dog," she said. "So I got really excited and started putting the bug in the principal's ear again. We talked to administration and they liked the idea as well."

Sammons said she and another counselor heard about how therapy dogs had helped students at another local school who were grieving the loss of a fellow student, and that inspired her further to bring a therapy dog to Clarksville High School.

Arlo, who is six months old, has mastered puppy training, manners training and obedience, and he is currently working on therapy commands.

Some students have already come into Sammons' office to visit Arlo, and she is amazed to see the effect the dog has had within just a few days, she said. Having a therapy dog could help with attendance as the dog provides a positive experience in school, she said.

"My main focus with the high school students is to work with some of these students who have attendance issues...we have a lot of kids who did not transition well back to school," she said. "They were much more comfortable at home, so [Arlo will help] getting them to be here and be comfortable being here."

The past couple of years has taken a toll on kids as they have faced the pandemic, and schools are seeing a rise in anxiety and depression among students, Sammons notes. More kids are coming to counselors due to their mental health, she said.

"We have Centerstone on board to help with some of that, but the case load is maxed out, and that's never happened before," Sammons said. "There's just the revolving door of some of the students who have a lot of social and emotional issues."

"I knew when I wanted to do this two years ago...[a therapy dog] could potentially help with a lot of social and emotional anxiety," she said.

By addressing issues such as social and emotional wellbeing and attendance, the therapy dog could help with academic performance, she said.

A dog like Arlo can "bring out that calmness in people," Sammons said.

Clarksville High School Principal Adrienne Goldman said she believes it will be a beneficial experience for kids to have Arlo in the building, particularly as they are facing anxiety.

"I think it's going to be a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff," she said. "I think it will really help some of our students, and just having him around the building...it brings some happiness if you're a dog lover."

She enjoys seeing the reactions of "complete joy" from students when they see Arlo.

"One young man who never says anything...he comes in and announces good morning, he goes straight to Arlo for some love, which to me is the whole reason — to get kids to kind of come out of their shell and feel more comfortable at school," Sammons said.

One student told Sammons that she usually dislikes coming to school, but she was "so excited to come to school now" that Arlo is there.

The training therapy dog is also excited to meet the students — he is learning the bell schedule at the school, so he is ready to greet the students as they walk through the school.

Arlo will mostly be at the high school, but he will also visit the middle school and elementary school next year "from time to time," she said.

Sammons is planning to give Arlo a gold and black therapy dog vest to match Clarksville High School's colors.

"The basketball and football coach have already talked about making him the school mascot and making him come to all the games," she said. "I don't know about all the games, but he'll probably make quite a few."

Arlo does not shed, and he has enough poodle characteristics to make him hypoallergenic, according to Sammons.

It is "kind of a dream come true" to bring in Arlo as a therapy dog, Sammons said.

"I couldn't be happier," she said. "I just know that the research I've done and what I've found out is that I know he's going to do some good here," she said. "It just warms my heart to see the kids respond to him."