Canine Therapy In Newton . . .

The bonds between humans and wolves date back over tens of thousands of years. Those wolves we adopted, we now call dogs. Every dog alive today shares 99% of their DNA with wolves. At any rate, it is not hard to see why the bond developed. For their part, dogs get security, they are fed, taken care of, petted, played with and loved. For our part, we get a companion that that can brighten even the worst of days . . .

From the NY Daily News:

A pack of sympathetic groups bearing supportive canines spent much of Monday with bereaved Connecticut residents affected by last week's Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, providing children and adults alike with the cuddly comfort that only a four-legged friend can give.

The "comfort dogs," or "therapy dogs" as they are sometimes called, were brought in by at least three groups late Sunday to help kids and adults alike cope with last week's horrific shooting in Newtown that left 20 first graders and six school officials dead.

Among the groups was the Hudson Valley Golden Retrievers Club, whose members spent the afternoon at a makeshift memorial near the town center, where both kids and adults in need of compassion stopped to pet and cuddle the dogs.

Mourning or otherwise devastated children and parents said that petting the dogs gave them relief from their sadness.

"I just love dogs, so whenever I'm around them, they make me feel better," said 12-year-old Ryan Williams. "When they come over and you pet them you kind of forget about what's happening for a little bit."

Jenna Stuart, a school bus driver from Newtown, said the dogs were an enormous help to her four-year-old daughter, Kylie, who attends preschool at the Children's Adventure Center in front of Sandy Hook Elementary and lost friends in the tragedy. . . . .

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