At last weekend's graduation ceremony at Texas Tech University, a service dog named Sadie "walked" alongside her person, graduate Makaela Muse, as Muse received her diploma.

The audience went wild when Muse and Sadie marched across the stage in matching academic regalia, and after the ceremony's presiding officer handed Muse her diploma, he had a surprise in store for the graduate's faithful four-legged helper.

Reaching into a potted fern (?!), he pulled out a special diploma, which looked suspiciously bone-shaped, and handed it directly to the dog.

What started as an ordinary pet relationship transformed into something far more significant during Muse's first semester.

"I actually passed out in my very first animal dissection lab, and we hadn't even gotten to the fun bits yet," Muse told local television station KCBD.

After years of misdiagnoses, doctors discovered she had two rare health conditions that cause constant hormonal fluctuations. Sadie, who had been with Muse since she was weeks old, took on a new role as medical alert dog.

"Basically, between the two of them, my hormones are always going up and down, and that's primarily her job, is to help me manage that," Muse explained.

Throughout Muse's pursuit of her bachelor's degree in animal sciences, Sadie attended virtually every class, lab session and late-night study marathon.

When Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovenec personally surprised Sadie with her own diploma, the moment exploded across social media.

The video went viral on Texas Tech's Instagram and ESPN's TikTok, with Harvard even weighing in with a comment about Sadie's "dogtorate." For Muse, a self-proclaimed introvert, the sudden global attention brought "shock, a little bit of panic."

As Muse applies to veterinary schools (she's hoping to return to Texas Tech), she's clear about one thing: "There is no Makaela without Sadie, we're a packaged deal at this point."

Good girl, Sadie!