6-year-old Eli’s puppy wish granted by St. Cloud pet supply store

ST. CLOUD — When 6-year-old Eli came into Pet Evolution in St. Cloud on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 15, he had no idea he’d be going home with a new friend.

As he came into the store with his family, three Make-A-Wish Foundation representatives dressed in blue T-shirts hid in a back room of the store with a 12-week-old German Shepherd puppy.

When they got the go-ahead, volunteer Teresa Hyde came out and presented Eli with his new puppy.

Eli stared at the German Shepherd in shock. His mom, Ashley, told him they were coming to the pet supply store only to pick out a collar.

Lauren Breunig / St. Cloud LIVE

When Ashley asked Eli what the puppy’s name was, he quickly said, “Angel.”

Eli, who lives with his family in Viking, Minnesota, was diagnosed with cancer when he was 5 years old. The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Eli’s wish for the dog. The organization does not release the last names of the kids and their families for privacy reasons.

Pet Evolution gifted Eli a $600 shopping spree to pick out everything that Angel would need. Eli came prepared with a list in his head, so he wandered around the store aisles with precision and determination.

Lauren Breunig / St. Cloud LIVE

Eli did lots of research to find the exact breed of dog he wanted, said his grandmother Paula, who joined Ashley, Eli and his infant sister Hazel on the four-hour drive from Viking in the far northwest corner of the state.

“He was looking for a dog that was big and a protector,” Paula said. “He really wanted a protector. Plus, German Shepherds are what police use.”

Eli has dreamed of being a SWAT officer, specifically a sniper, with a K-9 since right before he got sick a year ago, Ashley said.

“There are really no words to explain [the feeling of watching Eli get his puppy],” Ashley said. “I know he was jumping for joy inside.”

In addition to bringing Angel, Make-A-Wish also arranged for Eli to receive a visit from K-9 officers from Waite Park and St. Cloud. The organization also gave him a SWAT officer Halloween costume.

“People only call us for the bad stuff, so it was nice to come out and do things like this,” said Justin Wagman, who has been a K-9 officer with St. Cloud police for three years.

Lauren Breunig / St. Cloud LIVE

Wagman and his dog Riggs greeted Eli, showed him the inside of their police car and demonstrated some training techniques.

St. Cloud Police Sgt. Roger Baumann gave Eli a small badge as well.

“We love doing this stuff,” Baumann said.

Pet Evolution, a boutique pet supply shop at 2716 W. Division St., has partnered with Make-A-Wish to grant wishes since 2021. The foundation reached out to the company to ask if it would donate a bag of pet food to a girl named Kayli who wanted a St. Bernard.

“We were like, a bag? We can do better than that,” Pet Evolution CEO and co-founder Rian Thiele told St. Cloud LIVE at the event. “We decided to donate a year’s supply of food and take Kayli on a shopping spree.”

The experience stuck with Thiele, and he wanted to continue the partnership with Make-A-Wish at Pet Evolution’s stores across the country.

Pet Evolution was founded in Minnesota and has eight locations in the state, according to Crystal Schweim, Pet Evolution PR and communications manager. It also has stores in Virginia, Texas, California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

Lauren Breunig / St. Cloud LIVE

Thiele helped guide Eli and his family around the store Thursday, answering questions about which food to get or which toys would be best for Angel.

“A lot of these kids don’t get to live full lives, so we want to help give them a happy memory — something that makes them forget about what’s going on,” Thiele said. “This is our way of giving back.”

To volunteer or donate to help kids like Eli visit

wish.org/minnesota/ways-help-us.

To qualify for a grant from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a child must:

• Be between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18.
• Have a critical illness, such as a progressive, degenerative, or malignant condition that puts their life in danger.
• Not have received a wish from another wish-granting organization .

Anyone can refer a child for receiving a grant by visiting the Make-A-Wish website at

wish.org/refer-a-child.