BATON ROUGE - One Baton Rouge Catholic school is getting a little extra help from a special furry friend. Students at Sacred Heart of Jesus are receiving visits from a new therapy dog.

Gia is a one-year-old Bernedoodle that's been in training as a therapy dog for the school and visits twice a week. She goes from classroom to classroom, exchanging head scratches for treats, but, she also plays a bigger role.

Gia helps the students pay attention in class, listen to their teacher, and calms them down whenever they are upset — a true best friend.

Mother Mary Rosario Vega is Gia's handler. She says the way Gia lifts everyone's spirits is a perfect reason why therapy dogs should be in all schools.

"I encourage that, strongly," said Mother Rosario. "I had a shih-tzu for 13 years when I was principal at another school and I could see whenever the parents were stressed, teachers or children, they would see the dog, pet her and they would calm down and pay attention.

"It's just so beautiful because she's always smiling also. That encourages them to do their work and they start working again."

Though Gia plays a big role at the school, she also has a lot of personality and loves to play with the kids at recess.

"There's a fountain here at the school and she tries to get in there, wants to get in the water all the time," Mother Rosario said. "Soccer is her favorite."

Since Gia is such a big help at the school, the sisters currently have another Bernedoodle in training. Her name is Sabeth and she's four months old. They hope to get her ready and introduce her to the students in September.