Dog Whose Favorite Toy Was Discontinued Gets The Biggest Surprise

While some dogs may be satisfied with any old squeaky toy, Jaxon has more discerning taste.

The 12-year-old Chihuahua particularly favors one very specific plush green alligator. His mom, Kelli Brown, doesn’t know what it is about the Top Paw chew toy, named "Greenie," but it is the only thing the senior dog will play with — a fact that ended up going viral on Twitter.

"He was adopted from our local shelter on December 8, 2014, and I put one of these toys in his stocking the first year we had him (our other dog got the red version — which was a dragon)," Brown told The Dodo. "And this has just always been the only toy he’s ever played with!"

"We have tons of toys in the house, but he only has eyes for his Greenie," Brown added.

Jaxon’s much-beloved toy can get dragged around quite a bit, and as with all playthings, it occasionally needs to be replaced (Jaxon usually goes through two toys a year). 

However, when Brown went to her pet supply store to buy a new one last month, there were none to be found.

For Jaxon, it appeared the worst had happened: His favorite toy had been discontinued.

Not wanting to disappoint her pup, Brown canvassed the internet in search of Greenie — but when she had no luck, she decided to reach out on social media for assistance.

“PLZ HELP! This Top Paw toy has been discontinued but it’s the only toy 12 y/o Jaxon will play with,” Brown wrote in a tweet to PetSmart. “Got any laying around? We’ll buy them all up if you’ll let us! Our internet search brought us no luck. Very sad boy here!!”

Well-intentioned Twitter users weighed in, tweeting out links to other available toy dinosaurs and dragons that could possibly appease the shrewd pooch, but Brown explained that Jaxon would not be satisfied with any reptile pretenders.

“We’ve tried other green toys over the years, he won’t have anything to do with them,” Brown wrote. “And there was a red & yellow version of his fave toy (a dragon!) same size, same fabric, just a different color and no dice. What a weirdo, lol.”

Brown’s search seemed hopeless until her tweets were heard by a kind PetSmart employee in Texas, Kendyl Kercho. Jaxon’s story had been shared by the WeRateDogs Twitter account, and as a fellow dog lover (and Chihuahua owner), she knew what she had to do.

“I think what inspired me is my love for pets. I have a desire to do anything in my power to help animals anywhere and everywhere,” Kercho told The Dodo. “I figured if anyone could help, it was me, because I work at PetSmart where the toy comes from.”

Kercho posted on an employee Facebook group searching for the elusive alligator and combed the aisles of the store during her shift. At first, it seemed like the toy had been completely cleared out without a trace ... when she checked one last out-of-the-way place.

“I actually squeaked audibly when I found the clearance toy bin in the back where they were tucked away,” Kercho said. “I immediately told my manager, ‘These are the toys I’ve been looking for for my Chihuahua friend in Kentucky!’"

Kercho even included a few extra treats to make Jaxon’s care package more special. “I ended up finding around seven or eight [toys], asked if Jaxon had a favorite treat and sent his goodies on their way,” Kercho added.

Needless to say, Jaxon was over the moon.

His mom was pretty thrilled, too: “Happy to say the power of the internet came through BIG TIME. He is so happy right now ... thank you all,” Brown tweeted.

With eight brand-new toys to enjoy, his mom thinks Jaxon should be set for life. Any toys he doesn't use will be set aside for other dogs in need. "I’ve seen on Twitter that there are other dogs who also love this toy, so any extras we were to receive would be shared with friends," Brown said.

Jaxon is content only playing with one at a time, though his dog brother may have other ideas. "He’s enjoying the one that he picked out if that box," Brown added, "but we put the rest up to keep them safe from his brother — who is a toy destroyer!"

Though Jaxon lives over a thousand miles away and the two will probably never meet, Kercho is glad she took the time to help. All she has to do is look at her own Chihuahua, named Brock, to know she did the right thing.

“When I saw that [Jaxon] had received [the toys], I actually teared up a little,” Kercho said. “He’s a very good boy who deserves the world.”