Owen James
May 6, 2025
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM) — With mental health issues on the rise among middle school student, local schools are doing everything they can to help.
This includes Huntington East Middle School’s paw-some therapy dog, Bear.
The school year can be very stressful for students, but Bear, can salvage any ruff day.
Jessica Kuhn, the academic coach at East, has had the distinct privilege of being Bear’s handler since he arrived in December.
“We got him through a grant from Governor Justice’s office called Friends with Paws, where they placed therapy dogs in schools throughout West Virginia,” she said.
The one-year-old golden retriever was the 45th therapy dog to be placed in a West Virginia school as part of the program, and his presence has become a central part of the school day to
many of the students at Huntington East.
“Every day when the students get here, Bear is in the hallway greeting them; he stands in the hallway so that everybody gets an opportunity to say hello,” Kuhn said. “Same thing at the end of the day, usually he’s out in the hallway so that the kids can say bye to him as well.”
“He’s loved by everyone; we’ve had students say he is one of the main reasons they come to school is just to see him,” she continued.
Draven, an eighth grader at Huntington East, is a library assistant and gets to spend more time with Bear than any other student. He says that Bear has had a paw-sitive impact on the mental health of many of his peers.
“They love him. They really like him. They’re always wanting to see him. They always say his name whenever they cross paths with him,” he said. “I think he helps a lot with depression, because I’ve known a lot of kids who have depression and they’re way brighter now. Coming to school to see Bear has really helped them a lot I think.”
You can keep up with Bear on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @BarkwithBear.