On Words and Doggie Toys...

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."  One of those famous mom quotes, usually said after her kid has spoken some unkind thing.

Wouldn't it be nice if we replaced trying to hold our tongue when we want to speak unkindly, with making it a point to say something nice?  You never know how far your words will go to encourage someone.  

It's something I try to do on a regular basis and took it a little further this time, though unintentionally.

I discovered a brand of dog toys that are so exceptional I wanted to let the company know how much I like them.  So I sent an email to Jakks Pacific about their American Classic dog toys to tell them how impressed I was.  Believe me, Izzy and Belle have gone through lots of toys and they generally destroy them within 5 minutes.  Not these...but it doesn't stop there.  They cost less than many of the other so-called high-quality toys, and I bought them at my Publix.  No need to go to a fancy pet shop.  

Though I was happy just to have given my opinion, I received this response the following day from Maggie in their customer service department:

I am so happy to hear that your dogs have enjoyed our product.  It is always nice to hear positive feedback from a consumer.  If you provide your mailing address I would be happy to send out an extra toy.

And as soon as I responded with my address, she did just that.  Two days later I had a dog toy in my mailbox.  Happy customer, happy doggie!

I didn't make a comment expecting anything in return, except the hopes that they'd continue making great products, offering them at great prices.  Their excellent customer service won me over even more!

So, you may not get anything for free, but how can you speak life to someone today?