A birthday party was held for a special "student" at a class in Caotang Primary School in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province on Friday. The party was unusual, because the star of the celebration was a dog.

Xile, a homeless dog, was found by the students and teacher of Class 3, Grade 2 at a corner on the campus three years ago. The palm-size puppy was adopted by the class after they gained the school dean's approval. Xile joined the class and the day he was found became his "birthday".

Three months after Xile settled into his new on-campus home, the dog fell very ill with an infectious disease. To save Xile's life, the class raised up to 6,000 yuan ($920) for treatment and took turns looking after the dog at a veterinary hospital during recovery.

"The treatment cost 1,500 yuan. We set up the Xile Fund with the remaining money for its daily care", said the students' teacher who is nicknamed Duoduo.

Xile lives in a fenced-in kennel built by the students to make sure he can't get out and bother others. The pet developed a friendship with the class and students are allowed to visit Xile only when supervised by teachers.

Looking after Xile makes the students understand what love is, their teacher said.

"Students learn how to show their love, take responsibility and care for others," Duoduo said.