Travis Reed and Chewy are very well known around the building of Central Hardin High School. The pair is almost always together. This coming November will be Travis’ seventh year at Central while Chewy has been here for six. Since the pair is almost always together, it might come as a shock when Travis shows up to school without the four-legged friend following him around.
A typical day for Travis and Chewy starts with walking around the outside of Central and picking up any trash. Travis is the outside custodian, meaning he takes care of the lawn (mowing, weeding, etc.), outside after any sports games, and reports any suspicion/problems to assistant principal Matt Baucum.
Reed said, “I enjoy it, it’s a fun job.”
Most of the time, Chewy does all the jobs with Reed, but sometimes when it’s a mowing day in the summer or a task Travis has is a little too dangerous, Chewy doesn’t come with him. Even during the summer, the pair comes to school to keep up with all the duties on the outside of the school.
When it comes to big crowds or events happening at school, the pair tends to stay a good distance away. Since Chewy is a service dog, he identifies with Travis’ triggers. This means staying away from the pep rallies, assemblies, the band, etc. This might be why you’ve never seen them in the gym while we’re having a big event for the school.
You might also very rarely see them in the halls during the class changes. Most of the time they stay away from the halls during these times of the day, but when they do get stuck, Chewy tends to be in a hurry to get to places he’s familiar with.
There have been times at school when students have either reached out to pet Chewy, tried to throw things at him, attempted to kick him, and many more unkind things. Travis’ response was as simple as this, “I was always raised, you ask if you want to pet someone’s dog. And if the dog has a vest on, the dog is working and it’s not okay, it’s never okay.”
The employees of CHHS are also very fond of the pair. Principal Tim Issacs even said some very encouraging and kind words about the hard worker. “Travis does a great job here. I love having him and I always enjoy having him around. He’s somebody great to have around.”
Travis and Chewy are a dynamic, loved duo. The custodian and fur-covered worker are a great asset to Central Hardin. The next time you see them in the halls, make sure to give thanks for everything they do for the students, staff, and building in general.
