This year, I connected with a local volunteer organization that arranges to send certified therapy dogs (and their owners) to local schools, treatment centers, airports, hospitals–and almost anywhere else you can imagine.  At Swain, the “Happiness Dogs” bring comfort and joy.  They are the perfect way to brighten up a student’s day, calm down feelings of stress, increase empathy, and decrease feelings of loneliness.  The smiles on these kids’ faces tell it all.