Georgia Target reunites 5-year-old girl with beloved stuffed dog

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - For a little one, a favorite stuffed animal can mean the world. And if it gets lost, for the child and the parents, it can be devastating. That's why one mother was grateful when a metro Atlanta Target went above and beyond to reunite her daughter with her stuffed dog that had been lost more than 800 miles away.

When you see pictures of 5-year-old Anna Groves, her stuffed dog, Wavy, is never far behind. Her mom, Kimberly, says the two are inseparable.

"Wavy is actually in the back pocket of her backpack at school right now," Kimberly Groves said.

(Courtesy of Kimberly Groves)

So, of course, when they traveled to visit family in Flowery Branch, Wavy came along for the ride. One day, the family all went to Target.

"So, we went into Target. She got her toy. But while we were in Target, her cousin said, 'Let me see the stuffy!' I didn't notice that he had laid it down," she said.

It was their last day in Atlanta before starting the 13-hour drive back to Kansas City.

"We started driving home - I think we were in Tennessee - and she looked in her little carrier, where Wavy lives. And she said, "Mommy! Wavy's not in the carrier!" And I'm like, OK, OK, OK ... Target!"

They were too far on the road to turn back, so Groves called the store. Allison Green, a Target guest service advocate, answered.

"I could tell that it was very important that it needed to be found. I could hear it, and I could feel it," Green said.

Allison Green

Green made it her mission to find Wavy.

"Writing down notes, taking inventory about where we could find it - all of that. Where they had shopped around the store, what it looked like, all of that," Green said.

Thankfully, they rescued Wavy.

(Courtesy of Kimberly Groves)

"I was in tears because I was so glad they found this dog," Groves said.

"It felt really good to tell her because I knew how much stress that was going to alleviate her. She was incredibly grateful on the phone - just could not stop expressing it," Green said.

Green and her team at the store ensured Wavy had a first-class ticket for the 800-mile journey back home.