LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Doctors report the number of children with anxiety has doubled over the past decade. Stressors can be things like school shootings or problems at home.
The newest staff member at Brooks Elementary School is helping kids cope. Vader is their four-legged friend that is getting them through the day.
As soon as Hillview Police School Resource Officer Larry Priddy walks through the school doors all eyes are on his partner.
"It used to be, 'Hey, Officer Priddy, how's the day?' and now it's 'Hey, Officer Priddy, where's Vader?'" he joked.
Vader is his K-9 companion and is the newest member of the Hillview Police Department providing mental support to some Bullitt County Schools for the past month and a half including third grader Shayla Patterson.
"If you feel like you're feeling a little bit stressed, you can come up and pet him, and he makes you feel better," Shayla said.
And fellow third grader Jett Story feels the same way. "Well, he's a therapy dog, so he helps me with my emotions and feelings about my day."
Vader is already making a difference. He splits his time between Brooks Elementary, Overdale Elementary and Zoneton Middle schools.
The friendly pooch can even be called if a student is having a panic attack or just having a tough day.
"A lot of these students their home life is not what most of us get to live. It can sometimes be a hard life, broken homes just dealing with their daily mental health issues especially as a middle school student," Priddy said.
"Through your educational time, middle school is one of the roughest times for these students with so many different things coming against them and that they're having to deal with. Sometimes school is the only place that they can actually relax and feel safe and comfortable unfortunately, so Vader helps increase that," he said.
The smiles like the one from third grader Paisley Riley makes it worthwhile. "Whenever I see him, he makes me happy."
The American Kennel Club said therapy dogs like Vader can lower blood pressure and heart rate and reduce stress and anxiety
You can see the walls come down, as the students' faces light up. "He'll come up to you and lick you and like you'll pet him, and he'll make you happy."
Officer Priddy said the healing begins immediately. "For what they deal with, it's heartbreaking at times, so if I can have him present to help heal that, this is why I did it and this is, everything is worthwhile now."
Vader is helping the students get past the tough moments to be able to succeed at school.
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