Our pets often seem like being members of our family, especially when we do everything with them. So when we celebrate life’s milestones, it only makes sense that our fourlegged friends will join in too.
That’s precisely what Olivia Dufresne thought when her family dog, Yogi turned 12 years old: that's the age somebody usually graduates from elementary school in Quebec.
Pamela Dufresne
Yogi is a Maltese-Yorkshire terrier-Shih Tzu mix. His big sisters Pamela and Olivia Dufresne are very close to him. “We adore him and, even if he is not a human, we consider him a full member of our family,” Pamela told The Dodo. “He is our little prince, our little treasure.”
Yogi is such a big part of their lives that he's almost like a human.
Pamela Dufresne
“He’s very intelligent, and he understands a lot of words that many dogs wouldn’t,” Dufresne added. “Talking to him is like talking to a human.”
The sisters love to spend afternoons playing hide-and-seek with the cute dog. When they aren't having fun, he is like kind younger brother, as he's always there for the girls when they need emotional support.
Pamela Dufresne
“When we cry, he tries to make us laugh by licking our tears,” Dufresne said. “When we have an argument, he puts himself between us.”
“Ever since we were young, my sister and I have loved to imagine different scenarios in which our dog acts like a human: going to school, playing soccer, crossing the border illegally, playing video games, getting arrested. In our imagination, he did all those things!”
Pamela Dufresne
Yogi’s imaginary adventures have been pretty entertaining for his sisters, so when they began to talk about Yogi graduating this year, Olivia decided to make it a reality finally.
“As a surprise, my sister Olivia decided to secretly make a graduation picture,” Dufresne said. “Then, while nobody was at home, she replaced an old baby picture that was hanging between me and my sister’s graduation pictures with our dog’s graduation picture.”
Pamela Dufresne
The whole endeavor took several hours of careful Photoshop work. However, the effort was well worth it. In fact, Olivia did a great job, as her family hadn't noticed the swap on the mantel for some time.
“When we did, we laughed for a good 10 minutes, then we cried a little out of proudness,” Dufresne added. “To this day, Yogi’s graduation picture is the main attraction of the living room.”
Pamela Dufresne
Fortunately, the whole family agrees that Yogi’s picture deserves a place of honor. “It will probably stand there ‘til our death,” Dufresne claimed. “We love him so much!”
Pamela Dufresne
With Yogi’s 13th birthday arriving on March 31st, his proud sisters are already planning how to mark their brother’s next major milestone, which will be his teenage years.
Reference: Thedodo.com
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