Philadelphia loves you, WallyGator, please come home

I, like many of you, have been on watch ever since I heard that Philly's viral emotional support gator, Wally, went missing in Georgia.

Why it matters: Wally may have been snubbed in America's Favorite Pet competition, but he's an honorary mascot in Philly right up there with the likes of Gritty .

Catch up quick: Our gator friend disappeared April 21 during a trip to Brunswick, Georgia, with his owner Joie Henney, multiple media outlets reported.

• "Wally is very important to me as well as to a lot of other people that he makes happy and puts joy in their hearts," Henney wrote in a Facebook post.

My heart aches for you, Henney. So here's a quick letter of support from your friends at Axios Philadelphia.

Flashback: I've loved gators since I was a young boy. I was fascinated by reptiles and would check out books from my elementary school library to learn everything I could about them.

• Living thousands of miles away in New Mexico, I grew up doing the gator chomp as a fan of the University of Florida football team.

Zoom in: When I first read about how Henney adopted Wally at just a year old , I thought, "An emotional support gator? WTF." But then later, I saw your stumpy legs poking out from your little harness, and my heart swooned.

• You've graced us with your presence at baseball games and nursing homes and we watched you strut your stuff around Love Park!
• You can imagine our collective shock and disgust when we read about your recent abduction in Georgia by " some jerk who likes to drop alligators off into someone's yard to terrorize them."

The bottom line: I'm channeling my Captain Planet energy and praying to your reptilian friends here and in the great beyond for your safe return!

• We love you, you cute little snaggled-tooth, scaly cuddle muffin. Get home soon.

With Love,

Axios Philadelphia