Skagway is the home of an internet sensation: a husband-and-wife dog-walking couple that records their daily routines. They reached the milestone of 1,000,000 social media followers on New Year’s Eve.
The group calls themselves Mo Mountain Mutts and their videos have become viral posts. Mo Thompson, a Skagway resident, started out by taking her friends’ dogs on walks during lunch breaks.
“I began working with some teachers at this school. It was just a natural ripple effect. “Hey, I heard that you are really good with dogs. Could you please help me? Hi, I heard that you are very good with dogs. Could you please help me? I then needed another pack walk as I had started to group dogs by their personalities. We had our morning and afternoon crews. Thompson said that it grew to the point that Lee was needed for help.
Lee is her husband. Vern, an 8-month old boy, lives with the couple. Mo said that she also loves these days.
“We often have everything to our selves. There’s no one outside. We can also play the in-and-out game. Thompson said that Thompson often leaves his vehicle running so the dogs can come and go to warm up in their seats and then come back out.
A couple purchased a bus for their dog-friendly passengers from a local company last winter.
Lee and I are just two goofballs. Lee started pointing his camera at me, or he’d have a stupid idea on the bus. Thompson said that this is what made Thompson viral.
On New Year’s Eve they hit one million TikTok subscribers, so they had champagne and a new bag full of treats for their dogs.
One video is more popular than others. It has received more than 45 million views on TikTok.
@mo_mountain_mutts The guys wanted to see the dogs get on the #puppybus #alaska bus original sound – Mo_Mountain_Mutts
“That’s the dogs getting onto the bus. Jake walks in and takes his seat. Amaru is outside, waiting for the bus. Thompson said that Bama lets the dog sniff her and then she jumps into her seat. Then Slade comes flying in and starts having an affair with Otis.”
People are now making fan edits and putting themselves on the bus. Both admit to how fortunate they are to be able do what they love for a living.
“Sometimes, I look in the rearview mirror while driving. All the dogs are there. He said, “I can’t believe that we do this for our livelihood.”
The couple runs their dog bus all year and don’t intend to expand. They do plan to make Tik Tok a little more and to monetize YouTube videos. Mo also hosts web-based training sessions.
They were recently interviewed by CNN for a national interview and were then contacted by Rachel Ray Show.
