When students step off the bus at Meadowbrook Middle and High School each morning, Jarvis is there to greet them. The 2-year-old doodle started visiting campus in November 2024 while he was still in training and is now the first official school therapy dog in Guernsey County.
His handler, Kaylea Barnett, is the school’s student and family liaison for grades 6-12. She has worked in Rolling Hills Local School District since joining the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center in 2024.
Barnett connects students and families with the support they need, from tutors to community agencies. She meets one-on-one with students who need a little extra support or help getting back on track. Jarvis is now a big part of Barnett’s day-to-day work and of the school community.
“I have seen a tremendous change in culture here since he started coming here because he just makes everybody happy,” Barnett said. “Whenever we’re going down the hallway, all the kids yell for him and hurry to pet him.”
When a student feels anxious or overwhelmed, they can visit Barnett’s office, known as the PAUSE Room. Jarvis often calms them just by sitting beside them, and it doesn’t take long. Barnett said Jarvis can calm a student down in about 20 seconds.
“He’ll get up on my recliner with them and snuggle next to them and rest his head on them, and they just immediately calm down,” Barnett said.
Jarvis now clocks in three days a week, and the other two are for naps. A full day on campus wears him out.
On work days, he starts with a “treat route,” a lap around classrooms where teachers keep snacks for him, before settling into the PAUSE Room or visiting classes on request. He has been known to show up at student sporting events and community events like Boo Bash and Meadowbrook Elementary School’s annual trick-or-treat walk.
Jarvis also has his own column in the school newsletter, “Jarvis’ Corner.” Students share their worries, such as feeling nervous about a new school building, and he responds with advice in a “what would Jarvis do?” format. Each edition also features a photo of Jarvis dressed to match the issue’s theme.
His calming effect shows up in smaller moments, too. Sometimes his help is as simple as a walk. One student who struggled with the transition period of waiting between the end of the school day and going home now has a daily task: taking Jarvis outside. Barnett said it has made a big difference in the student’s anxiety and restlessness.
Bringing a therapy dog to school took more than just picking out the right dog. It took fundraising, training and a lot of paperwork. Barnett started by applying for grants to kick-start the program. She was awarded a grant from the Rotary Club of Cambridge, Ohio, and a grant from the Cedar Ridge Foundation. To cover the rest, she created a sponsorship program that gave local businesses recognition in school newsletters and on social media in exchange for their support.
Jarvis’ own path to campus started with a donation as well. Dresden Doodles, a local breeder, donated him to Fetch Remedy, a Muskingum County nonprofit that aims to provide trained therapy and service dogs to organizations and individuals who need them, at little to no cost. Fetch Remedy then placed him with Barnett.
Jarvis’ training was a step-by-step process through the Fetch Remedy Intensive Therapy Program, which included hours of hands-on group training each week for more than a year. The early weeks covered the basics, like walking on a loose leash, sit, down and stay. From there, he moved on to therapy skills such as staying calm around medical equipment, resting his head in someone’s lap and deep-pressure therapy.
Jarvis and Barnett then took their practice out into the community, working through dog-friendly stores, busy spots like Roscoe Village and downtown Zanesville, and community events. There, he learned to stay calm around car horns and crowds and to walk past dropped food. He earned several American Kennel Club credentials along the way, including passing the Urban test, which required him to hold a three-minute down-stay despite distractions.
The final stretch took them to therapy visits at places like reading groups, after-school programs and nursing homes, where Jarvis was evaluated for his Alliance of Therapy Dogs certification. At the same time, Barnett was earning her certification as a therapy dog handler through Fetch Remedy.
Their work is ongoing, since the training and paperwork never stop for either Jarvis or Barnett. Jarvis’ vaccination records are on file at the school, and his official rabies tag stays on his collar at all times to meet all state health requirements.
Jarvis is the first official school therapy dog in Guernsey County, and he and Barnett are showing how animal-assisted support helps students and staff. Their work offers other districts a look at what that support can do in their own classrooms.