No one showed up at this boy's party last month. But...

MEDIA, Pa. (WPVI) -- Josh Kramer had a birthday party last month but no one, not even classmates, showed up.

The 12-year-old has social anxiety and he's shy.

"I was really upset. All he wanted was to play football and baseball," said his mother, Melissa. "He didn't ask for much."

But the massive birthday party do-over came about in an unlikely way, and it involves his dogs.

His pets, his best friends, are rescue dogs from the organization Justice Rescue. People there heard about Josh's story.

"To me animals saved my life, and I could feel the relationship Josh had with those dogs, and I felt responsible to help get something together for him," said Russell Harper of Justice Rescue.

Harper created a Facebook page inviting people to the party on Saturday at noon. Friends in the local fire and police departments heard about the party, too.

"I would say in about a week and a half, between social media and phone calls in the surrounding communities and word of mouth, this is the kind of turnout we had," said Chief Bill Cairns of the Rocky Run Fire Company.

By Saturday, firetrucks lined up a Granite Run Mall, parading everyone to Ridley Creek State Park.

"I started crying. It was... I can't even come up with the words, I was very grateful," Melissa said.

There Josh played sports with new friends and, like every kid, enjoyed his birthday gifts.

But the greatest gift for organizers: seeing the lasting impact one party can have one on grateful boy.

"I found out that, since we started promoting this event, Josh now has a lot of friends that are now talking with him, sitting with him at school," Harper said. "This is something he can have for the rest of his life."

By the way, Josh said he got about 400 gifts at his party.