SINGAPORE - When Canadian clinical psychologist Aubrey Fine took his first pet, a gerbil named Sasha, to a programme for children with learning needs in the 1970s, a boy who was usually hyperactive went up to him and asked if he could hold Sasha.
"Sure, but only if you can sit down on the ground and cross your legs," Dr Fine, who was then in his 20s, replied. "When I put Sasha in your palm, I want you to not move because I don't want you to scare my little friend."
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