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While many of our beloved pets, like dogs and cats, are happy with simply lounging at home and showering us with affection, some animals take things a step further. These extraordinary creatures go beyond their natural instincts and achieve human-like accomplishments, even earning awards for their remarkable feats. Though it might sound absurd—and in some cases, it might be—the reality is that numerous animals have been granted genuine recognition for their efforts throughout history.
This list will delve into ten memorable instances when animals earned human credentials. While some of these stories are heartwarming, others are downright silly. So, if you’ve ever wondered whether your dog could somehow score a college degree or receive a similar recognition, you’ll find the answer here. These tales are sure to make you smile, and from a more skeptical viewpoint, they might make you question the way society hands out qualifications.
10. Colby Nolan (MBA)
In 2004, a house cat named Colby Nolan was awarded an MBA by the now-defunct Trinity Southern University, a diploma mill based near Dallas. At the time, TSU was under scrutiny by government authorities, who were working to shut it down. What made this case even stranger was that Colby Nolan lived with a deputy attorney general in Pennsylvania, adding a bizarre twist to the story.
In a bizarre turn of events, undercover agents helped a house cat, Colby, gain admission to a diploma mill, eventually pushing for him to earn a bachelor's degree. At just six years old, Colby submitted a resume that included work experience like community college courses, babysitting jobs, and stints in the fast food world. He even allegedly had a newspaper route. Quite a resume for a house cat, right?
When officials at TSU received Colby Nolan's resume, unaware that he was a feline, they offered him an enticing deal. For an additional $100, he could earn an executive MBA. So, for just $399, Colby earned his MBA from Trinity Southern University, only for the law to eventually intervene. Suspecting TSU was a scam, the Pennsylvania attorney general filed a lawsuit, followed by Texas law enforcement in 2004.
By 2005, the TSU website had vanished, and the fake university's founders were forced to pay hefty fines and restitution to the humans they had deceived into purchasing worthless degrees. But in the end, Colby Nolan did put in the effort to earn that MBA and even helped dismantle an entire institution in the process!
9. George (Hypnotherapist)
In the United Kingdom, the process to become a hypnotherapist is surprisingly lax. So lax, in fact, that even a cat could become one! This became evident in 2009, when Chris Jackson, a BBC presenter and host of the show Inside Out North East & Cumbria, began questioning the ease with which individuals could earn credentials as hypnotherapists.
Doubting whether everything was above board, he registered his house cat, George, as a hypnotherapist. George then went on to 'apply' for membership with several professional associations—and surprisingly, was accepted!
In essence, Jackson forged a hypnotherapy certificate for George from a fictional institution that never existed. He then submitted this forged certificate to three reputable organizations: the British Board of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, the United Fellowship of Hypnotherapists, and the Professional Hypnotherapy Practitioner Association.
Without raising any concerns, these organizations promptly registered George as an official hypnotherapist, and just like that, the cat was on the list. Naturally, this mix-up caused quite the embarrassment for the three organizations, all of whom scrambled to fix the issue once the story hit the public. Oops!
8. Kitty O'Malley (High School Graduate)
In 1973, a newspaper called The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida, raised suspicions about a potential high school diploma mill operating nearby. The so-called 'Washington High Academy' advertised in local papers, offering individuals the chance to quickly obtain high school diplomas with minimal effort.
The newspaper, suspicious that this place might just be a front to make money by selling fake degrees and not an actual school, decided to investigate further. By now, you can probably predict how the story will unfold.
Rather than “applying” for a high school diploma through a real person, the newspaper decided to submit the cat of one of their staff members. The cat, named Spanky, was listed as 'Kitty O’Malley' on its 'resume' sent to Washington High Academy. The diploma mill was kept in the dark about the cat’s true identity. And sure enough, it earned a diploma!
This was certainly odd since the cat was incapable of reading or writing. Naturally, the cat’s fake diploma was rejected by every college it applied to. The newspaper then reached out to the state attorney general’s office, which initiated an investigation into the dubious high school.
7. Chester Ludlow (MBA)
Chester Ludlow, a pug who lived in Vermont during the 2000s and 2010s, became the subject of his owner's quest to acquire a credential in 2009. The aim was perhaps to prove that pugs could be smarter than they appeared. The verdict is still out on that, though we can all agree that pugs are undeniably cute, in their own quirky way. Nonetheless, the credential process was a success!
Chester's owner applied for an MBA at a school called Rochville University. For a mere $499, Chester was awarded a diploma, two sets of transcripts, a finance certificate of distinction, and a certificate of membership in the Rochville University student council. Quite the deal!
However, there was a slight issue. Rochville University was nothing more than a fraudulent degree mill handing out fake diplomas and useless transcripts to anyone who forked out the cash. Chester’s thrifty owner could have paid an extra $100 to have the pug graduate with honors but opted not to. As it stood, Chester “earned” a 3.19 GPA for his imaginary coursework. And as a bonus, he also received a Rochville University window decal for his car. Not that he could drive, being a pug and all, but it was a nice touch!
6. Ollie (Medical Journal Editor)
In 2017, Mike Daube, a public health expert from Western Australia, became alarmed at how incomplete the credentialing process for academic journals and medical publications seemed to be. To prove his point, he decided to test it by submitting an application for his rescue dog, Ollie, to several prestigious journals.
He reinvented the five-year-old Staffordshire terrier as Dr. Olivia Doll, creating fake credentials for her, including her purported position as a “past associate of the Shenton Park Institute for Canine Refuge Studies.” In reality, Ollie was simply a rescue dog adopted from a shelter in the Shenton Park area of Perth—but none of the journals bothered to check. Multiple journals accepted her submission, and the Global Journal of Addiction and Rehabilitation Medicine even made her an associate editor!
Dr. Doll’s alleged research areas included 'the benefits of abdominal massage for medium-sized canines' and 'the role of domestic canines in promoting optimal mental health in aging males.' But here’s where things get wild: When the journals requested a photo to accompany the application, Daube submitted a picture of Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue wearing glasses. And believe it or not, no one noticed!
In an interview with a Perth newspaper, Daube found humor in the whole Ollie situation, but he also highlighted serious issues within certain academic journals. 'What started as a lighthearted experiment has now become a chance to reveal the scams that target the unsuspecting, especially young or inexperienced academics and those from developing countries,' he said. Dr. Doll didn’t comment, probably because she was too busy waiting for a walk!
5. Wally (Associate’s Degree)
In 2004, WRGB-TV reporter Peter Brancato applied to Almeda University on behalf of his dog, Wally, and surprisingly received an associate’s degree for the pup. The station, based in Albany, New York, was covering a story about diploma mills. On Wally’s application, Brancato listed that the dog 'plays with the kids every day,' 'helps them interact better with one another,' and 'teaches them responsibility, like feeding the dog.'
Almeda University found Wally’s 'experience' credible enough to award him an associate’s degree in Childhood Development under the 'life experience' category. But here’s where things get even more ridiculous: After WRGB-TV aired the story, Almeda hit back hard! The school accused Brancato of perjury, claiming he knowingly submitted a fraudulent application—along with a false application for his dog.
The diploma mill issued a scathing press release claiming that Brancato had submitted a fraudulent application with false details, a made-up name, and a fake birthdate for Wally, all in an attempt to make them look bad. Well, that was pretty much the point, guys! You don’t need a diploma from a degree mill to figure that out.
Believe it or not, the story doesn’t end there. In 2008, Wally unexpectedly appeared in a political ad during the mayoral race in Lake Geneva, a small town in southeastern Wisconsin. Bill Chesen, one of the candidates that year, had received a bachelor’s degree from Almeda University. His opponents, suspicious of the school, decided to mock him by releasing an ad featuring Wally’s image and a speech bubble that read, 'I graduated with Bill Chesen.' Ouch!
4. Pete (MBA)
A short-haired lurcher is a hybrid dog, typically a mix of a greyhound and a terrier. These dogs are fast, can see long distances, and are excellent at fetching balls and tracking items. What they can’t do is earn an MBA. So it was quite surprising in 2013 when a four-year-old male Lurcher named Pete was awarded an MBA from the American University of London. He did it without the ability to read, write, or study— and it only took four days! Quite the achievement!
At the time, Pete was living at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, where he was submitted as a fake MBA candidate named 'Peter Smith.' According to his fabricated profile, Peter was a management consultant with significant professional experience. For a mere £4,500, the American University of London granted him an MBA through their Accreditation of Previous Experiential Learning board.
As we mentioned earlier, Peter’s entire 'credential' was built on fabricated work experience and a fake undergraduate degree. The whole process took just four days after the dog first applied for the course. No coursework, no transcripts, no exams, no grades—just an MBA. What a good dog!
3. Algernon Goldfish (Licensed Waste Disposer)
In 2021, an environmentalist named George Monbiot managed to register his childhood goldfish—who had passed away decades ago—as a licensed waste disposer in the United Kingdom. The goldfish, named Algernon, had died when Monbiot was just seven years old, back in 1970.
By 2021, Monbiot had become a well-known global environmental advocate. That year, he decided to test the UK’s newly introduced regulations for becoming a certified hazardous waste disposal agent. What he discovered was unsurprising: there were essentially no restrictions or criteria for becoming a licensed 'expert' trusted to handle dangerous refuse!
Monbiot filled out an application for Algernon Goldfish, using the address of 49 Fishtank Close in the Ohlooka Castle area of Derby. After paying the necessary fee (naturally), Algernon Goldfish was officially certified to handle hazardous waste!
Monbiot’s aim with this was to highlight how criminal organizations were seizing these easy-to-acquire certifications to engage in illegal waste dumping, masquerading as part of a black market network disguised as environmentalism. In this sense, Algernon Goldfish continued to make an impact five decades after his death, shedding light on the vast corruption!
2. Maxwell Sniffingwell (Veterinary Degree)
In 2009, a veterinarian from the small town of Clinton, Arkansas, Dr. Ben Mays, managed to obtain a degree for his English bulldog, Maxwell Sniffingwell, from Belford University. The degree was in the field of 'theriogenology'—which is essentially the study of animal reproduction. Apparently, Maxwell (or rather, Dr. Sniffingwell) had a real passion for reproduction. Let’s just move on from there…
Dr. Mays’s application touted Maxwell Sniffingwell’s 'innate skill in theriogenology' and his 'experimental work with felines.' For a mere $549, Maxwell ‘earned’ his diploma. As a bonus, Belford University even provided a transcript and a letter of recommendation once they received the payment!
Unfortunately, Dr. Mays didn’t spring for the extra $75 to ensure Maxwell could graduate with honors. Nonetheless, Dr. Sniffingwell certainly made a mark with that accomplishment!
Molly, a basset hound with a high school diploma, was at the center of a 2012 investigation by KHOU, a Houston-based television station. They uncovered a scandal involving diploma mills that were selling fake high school diplomas and transcripts. In an effort to expose this, KHOU applied for a diploma for Molly, one of their photojournalists' dogs.
In February 2012, the station applied for a diploma from a bogus institution called Lincoln Academy. To make matters worse, the ‘school’ required the completion of a 'comical' take-home test, which Molly’s owner helped her with. For just $300, the diploma was granted without any legitimate academic work.
The take-home test included questions like 'How many sides does a triangle have?' and 'True or false: The President lives in the White House?' After studying for just a few hours and with the owner’s assistance, Molly managed to pass the test. And just like that, she earned her diploma from Lincoln Academy.
Once the $300 payment was processed, Molly received a confirmation email from Lincoln Academy. The email congratulated her for completing her high school education. 'Dear Molly,' the letter began, 'you have truly reached a new milestone in your educational career... sit back and enjoy your new life as a graduate from Lincoln Academy.'
