All aboard the puppy bus! If you or your furry friends live in, or plan to visit, Alaska, you don’t want to miss this “paw”fect form of transportation. Mo Mountain Mutts is a dog pack-walking business with a customized bus to take pups on adventures. It has gone viral on social media due to its adorable riders.
Puppy Bus Gets Insta-Famous
Mo Mountain Mutts is owned by Mo Thompson and her husband Lee. The duo takes up to 12 canines on three off-leash group trail walks every day. To arrive at the walking destination, the four-legged hikers board a passenger bus outfitted for pups. Once inside, they go through an obedience drill, are led to their seats (which are assigned based on manners, personality, and age), and get buckled into special harnesses. Then they’re off!
Last year, the entrepreneurial couple started filming the rides and posting them to social media – more for the parents of the riders rather than in pursuit of 15 minutes of fame. They were surprised by how many people got a kick out of their business model.
“Lee and I together are just a couple of goofballs,” Mo told local station KTOO. “So Lee just started pointing the camera at me or he would have a silly idea on the bus. And that’s really what went viral.”
People have gone nuts over the social media posts, garnering Mo Mountain Mutts 1.4 million followers on TikTok and another 333K on Instagram.
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Humble Beginnings
Mo and Lee never anticipated their dog-themed endeavor would become this popular. The Skagway-based business began after Mo started walking friends’ dogs at work.
“I started working with some teachers at the school. And it just kind of was a ripple effect of ‘Hey, I heard you’re really good with dogs. Can you help me? Hey, I heard you’re really good with dogs. Can you help me?’ And then I needed a second pack walk because I started grouping dogs together by their personalities,” she said. “So we had our morning crew and our afternoon crew. Then it just grew to the point where I needed some help from Lee.”
Now, the couple is amazed by the response to their passion project.
“I look in the rearview mirror of the bus as I’m driving sometimes. And I see all the dogs back there. And I can’t believe we do this for a living,” Mo said.
