This post is coming a bit earlier than I originally planned, but I just HAD to post about my canine lovebug, my partner in counseling and one of the most genuine and warm spirits, Franny the therapy pug. Franny is a six year old pug who I adopted ( or rather, rescued) from a home where she was being bred for puppies quite regularly. She had already had two litters by the time I found her, and we just felt that mama/doggy love connection from the start! She's been a wonderful addition to not only the school, but as my personal pet. Today, I thought I'd blog a little about Animal Assisted Therapy with kids, and why it is so beneficial. One of the most important aspects of AAT is that it teaches EMPATHY. What is empathy, you ask? Well, it's different than Sympathy, which is word most people are familiar with. While sympathy is the ability to feel sorry for a person, animal, etc., empathy is the ability to personally relate to someone or something in need. Here's a