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Therapy dogs help students return to school after Parkland shooting

The pups have been "a major source of healing."
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 

Two weeks have passed since a deadly mass shooting killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and the resilient students and faculty are beginning to come back to their classrooms.

The return comes after several tough days spent organizing to fight for increased gun control and mourning the teenagers, football coach, and athletic director who lost their lives during the tragedy.

In wake of the traumatic event, the school's principal, Ty Thompson, thought some therapy dogs would help provide extra comfort upon return, and the photographs are pretty precious.

Thompson's been very active on Twitter sharing updates and encouragement in the days following the shooting.

He was sure to post photos of the first days back in February, inculding several of faculty members cuddling the therapy dogs, and one of students smiling with a dog in class. He explained that the dogs have been "a major source of healing."

Nine of the dogs are from Lutheran Church Charities in Illinois and have reportedly been a big hit with the students. Some students showed their love for the dogs on social media, sharing photographs and thanks.

In fact, the pups were such a big hit that Thompson invited them back, increasing the number so more students could benefit from the animals.

The official Instagram account for Humane Broward's Animal Assisted Therapy also shared several photos of students smiling with the animals, explaining the dogs "participated in classes all day, made lots of new friends and provided unconditional love and comfort."

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Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

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