We're approaching commencement season at area high schools and colleges, but one school is staging a very special graduation ceremony on Wednesday.
Eckerd College in St. Petersburg was the first in the nation to allow on-campus students to bring their pets with them when they moved in, and the college remains committed to honoring the animals who support their students. And that commitment extends to an annual ceremony where each pet of a graduating senior gets to wear a cap, hear its name called, and be walked across the stage.
All in all, 68 animals will receive a certificate at this evening's 10th annual pet graduation.
This year, the college will honor 37 dogs, 15 cats, four rats, four snakes, two ferrets, a bearded dragon, a golden-capped conure, a hedgehog, a hermit crab, a rabbit, and a tortoise.
More than 270 have "graduated" since Eckerd began honoring pets in 2013.
The ceremony is set for 6:30 pm at Fox Hall, 4200 54th Ave. South, St. Petersburg.
photo: Getty Images