One super cool mom has found a way to make her son’s first year at college a little less stressful. When Jake Ostrowski confided in her that he would miss his dog Jesse when he left for Texas Tech, his mom Sharla took action.
She commissioned a life-sized cardboard cutout of the handsome Golden Retriever to keep Jake company during those homesick dorm days. Jesse wasn’t sure what to make of his one-dimensional doppelganger, but Jake was ecstatic and shared a photo of the thoughtful gift via Twitter.
Since the image entered the Twittersphere on August 18 it has been re-tweeted more than 5,400 times, making Jake and Jesse social media celebrities. Within 24 hours the story had been picked up by Buzzfeed, NY Magazine and Mashable, just to name a few.
Jake told Buzzfeed that Cardboard Jesse has helped alleviate some of the stress of leaving home:
“It can be kind of scary going off to college, but now I’ve got my dog in my dorm with me.”
The next day, Jake tweeted a photo of himself and Jesse (the dog, not the cutout) with the caption ” Thanks for making me famous. I’ll miss you.”
Jake’s mom probably has no idea just how much the gift truly means to her son. As much as he’ll miss friends and family, there’s just something different about having to say goodbye to your childhood canine sidekick.
My own father made a video of my dog for me to take to college. It was titled “A Day in the Life of Spike” and I must have watched it a hundred times that first semester. I still have it to this day, even though Spike has long since passed away.
Here’s hoping this viral story will inspire other parents to come up with creative ways to comfort their dog-loving teens as they head off to college this Fall.
Featured Image via Twitter/Jake Ostrowski
Toledo, United States.
