Even 65 million years of history couldn’t stand between 6-year-old Zack and his wish. When Zack learned he could wish for anything he wanted, he sunk his teeth in and wished BIG. Zack wished to have a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Fortunately for the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia, granting Zack’s wish didn’t require time travel. The T. rex Zack had his sights set upon was of the fiberglass variety, a 7½-foot tall, 130-pound predator that Zack had seen during DinoMite Days, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s 2003 art exhibit.

Zack’s epic wish began when he woke up and his mom, Natalie, told him that the news was reporting about a mysterious egg uncovered at the Pittsburgh Zoo. The newspaper called for anyone knowledgeable about dinosaurs to report to the zoo immediately. Zack quickly donned his paleontology gear – a khaki vest, a magnifying glass and a fossil brush – and rode in style in an H1 Hummer to the Pittsburgh Zoo. It was there that Zack met with zoo curator Henry Kacprzyk, petted a Komodo dragon and confirmed what authorities feared most – the egg had hatched and its contents were now roaming the streets of Pittsburgh.

Never one to panic – even with the people of Pittsburgh in danger of becoming dino-bites – Zack determined that the tracks leading from the egg could belong to only one creature: the T. rex. Zack’s next stop was to confer with Carnegie Museum paleontologist Matt Lamanna in the museum’s Big Bone Room. Matt helped Zack put his paleontology equipment to good use as the two cleaned a 9-million-year-old rib from a rhinoceros fossil found in Kansas.

After leaving the museum, Zack discovered that the tracks of the elusive dinosaur were leading straight for his house. What he didn’t know was that while he was trailing the T. rex, Brian Reneski, project manager for DinoMite Days, was pouring slabs of concrete in his backyard to mount Zack’s new friend.

The company that made the original DinoMite dinos couldn’t fill Zack’s order in a timely manner, so Reneski drove to Toronto, picked up the T. rex mold and cast the model himself. He then arranged for artist Holland Williams to paint the beast according to Zack’s specifications, including a green body covered with pictures of other carnivorous dinosaurs and a special tattoo bearing the name Zack had selected: Meaty.

Zack finally traced the tracks to his backyard and beamed with a colossal smile when he saw Meaty. He immediately raced to climb on him. “I named it Meaty cause it eats meat,” he said.

Zack’s parents were also excited about their son’s new virtual pet and the happiness that came with it. “He’s probably going to want to sleep out here,” Zack’s father, John, told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. “He’ll probably curl up in the egg shell.”

Zack deserved a little rest after an exciting day of helping make his own wish come true, tracking and discovering a magnificent, fearsome friend who would be right at home.

Zack’s mammoth wish was also a fitting milestone for the Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia chapter. Meaty marked the chapter’s 7,000th wish granted since its founding in 1983.