Pupils at a school in southwest China recently celebrated the third anniversary of a dog becoming their class “pet.”

Fifth-grade pupils at Chengdu Caotang Primary School held a party in celebration of the third year since they found a dog named Xile, the Chengdu Business News reported. They found Xile as a little puppy at the time and have been taking care of the pooch ever since.

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Xile, which is Chinese for happiness and joy, was the star of the party, complete with a costume, a cake, and singing. The party was held on Friday.

Teaching Responsibility

A teacher said that the dog looked both very sad and very cute when the pupils found it as a puppy three years ago. And because they found it difficult to drive away, they instead asked the school’s authorities if they could be allowed to take care of it.

The school’s headmaster, Lan Jihong, said she was thinking about the pupils’ safety should they be allowed to take the dog into custody. However, she thought of the incident as a possible opportunity to teach the kids a real-life lesson on responsibility. Because of this, she found it hard to reject the pupils’ request.

“But at that time I found I couldn’t say no to the pupils because a real education is about an attitude towards life,” Lan is quoted as saying, adding that if she had rejected them, “I [would have] sent out a message that people can discard life willingly.”

After receiving permission, the pupils then raised funds to look after the dog. They built a kennel where the dog could stay while inside the school’s premises, and only take it home when storms complete with lightning and thunder frighten it.

According to the class teacher, Xile’s presence helps the pupils realize the importance of being responsible and being concerned, adding that even the naughtiest of students soften when they look at the dog’s eyes.

TagsChengdu Caotang Primary School, Xile, Dog, teacher's pet, stray dog