Therapy dog joins Harlingen CISD counseling team

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A new therapy dog has officially joined the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District Crisis Team.

Johnny Cash, an 11-month-old Australian Shepherd-Catahoula mix, joins a team of trained mental health professionals, providing counseling, emotional, and mental support services to students and staff.

"He's very loving and just very obedient," said Jessica Visgtol, a Harlingen CISD Crisis Team member.

Visgtol believes that Johnny joining the team will uplift each campus and improve the school culture.

"All of the kids will be very excited and very happy," Visgtol said. "The students [will] feel more welcome and more comfortable, as if they're talking to the dog versus just talking to a person, and so they [will] open up more."

Visgtol says the inspiration to welcome a district therapy dog stemmed from a recent loss she experienced.

"While we were in the hospitals, we had therapy dogs come visit us. They always just uplifted our spirits just that little bit with that big journey that we went through," Visgtol said. "After that experience, I just saw how he impacted our family, and I really wanted to do something like that with other families and other kids."

Johnny Cash will also be a part of the counseling team at Treasure Hills Elementary School in Harlingen.