Penny the golden retriever recently joined the counseling team as the first-ever therapy assistant dog at East Leyden High School to help students and faculty cope with anxiety, stress or grief when school gets “ruff”.

Penny, a golden retriever, is one of East Leyden's most recent additions.

Patti Muldoon, a counselor at East Leyden and Penny’s owner and handler, said the almost one-year-old dog’s extensive training began in October in Michigan prior to onboarding at East Leyden Jan. 29.

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