A Texas man who fell head over heels for his daughter’s foster dog has captured hearts online after deciding to adopt the senior pup for good.
Esmi Thomas, 39, from Fort Worth, Texas, first took in a 16-year-old rescue dog named Mr. Chewy in June 2023. The senior dog needed a new home after his owner passed away.
Chewy initially went to live with the owner’s sister, but it didn’t work out. According to Thomas, the sister’s cats “bullied him,” making it difficult for the elderly dog to settle in.
Wanting to give Chewy a peaceful place to spend his golden years, Thomas agreed to foster him while a permanent home was found.
While Thomas loved having Chewy around, the dog ended up making an even bigger impression on someone else — her father, Jimmy Martinez.
“My dad has always had a huge heart for animals,” Thomas told Newsweek. “When Chewy first came to stay with me, I would send my dad videos of him just like I did with my other foster dogs. He kept saying what a neat little guy he was and how he hoped he found a good home.”
Months later, Thomas needed someone to watch Chewy while she traveled out of town. Martinez offered to take care of the dog for the weekend.
That weekend quickly turned into a week, then a month — and before long, Martinez realized he couldn’t imagine life without Chewy.
He officially adopted the senior dog.
Thomas says the bond between her father and Chewy has been incredible to watch.
“I grew up seeing my dad cherish animals my whole life,” she said. “I knew Mr. Chewy would be spoiled by him. Now they’re basically two little old men living their best lives.”
The pair spend their days together running errands, going shopping, and even wearing matching Johnny Cash shirts.
While Thomas once sent videos of Chewy to her father, the roles have now reversed. Martinez regularly sends her adorable clips showing what he and Chewy are up to.
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One of those videos recently went viral after Thomas shared it on TikTok under the account @heyspoonies.
The clip, captioned “Mr. Chewy is my dad’s best friend,” has racked up more than 800,000 views and over 146,000 likes.
Viewers quickly fell in love with the sweet friendship between the man and his elderly dog.
“Mr. Chewy hit the jackpot,” one commenter wrote.
“Your dad is an earth angel,” another person added.
Someone else joked that Chewy is basically living the dream: “He’s living at grandpa’s forever. It’s like a full-time vacation with endless treats.”
Thomas says she loves watching the special bond between the two.
“I absolutely love the videos of my dad and Mr. Chewy,” she said. “It makes me so happy seeing how much joy they bring to each other.”
Thanks to Martinez’s big heart, Chewy now gets to spend his final years surrounded by love — and plenty of treats.