If his school community had to choose between himself and its nine therapy dogs, David Snowden jokes that “the director of schools would have to go.”
Now in his 23rd year as leader of Franklin Special School District, south of Nashville, Snowden has championed the canine program since Mattie Grace became the school system’s first trained therapy dog in 2018.
Five years later, each of the district’s eight schools has a canine companion on site, as does its central office, to provide emotional support to students and staff.
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