Skagway is home to an internet sensation – a husband and wife dog walking team who make videos of their daily routines. On New Year’s Eve, they reached the lofty benchmark of over a million social media followers.
They call themselves the Mo Mountain Mutts, and videos of their activities have gone from official posts to national news. Skagway-based Mo Thompson started at a young age, taking his friends’ dogs for walks during his work lunch breaks.
“I started working with some teachers at the school. And it was just kind of 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 another pack walk because I started grouping dogs together based on their personalities. So we had our morning and afternoon groups. Then it just grew to the point where I needed help from Lee,” Thompson said.
Lee is her husband. The couple has an 8-month-old son named Vern, who also goes for walks every day, unless the weather is too cold. Mo says he loves those days too.
“We usually have everything to ourselves. No one is usually out. And we can play the in and out game. “I usually leave my vehicle running and the dogs can come and go and warm their little toes on the seat and come back out,” Thompson said.
The couple bought a passenger bus from a local business last winter, but their passengers are all dogs.
“Lee and I together are just a couple of goofs. So Lee just started pointing the camera at me or he’d get a stupid idea on the bus. And it really went viral,” Thompson said.
They got a million TikTok subscribers on New Year’s Eve, so they treated their dogs to champagne and a new bag of treats.
One video has received more attention than the others. It has received over 45 million views on TikTok alone.
@mo_mountain_mutts You asked to see the dogs get on the bus #foryou #dogs #petbus #alaska ♬ original sound – Mo_Mountain_Mutts
“It’s the dogs getting on the bus. It’s like Jake walks in and takes his seat. Amaru sits outside on the sidewalk waiting for the bus. Bama just gets in, lets the dog sniff her mixes back in his seat, and then Slade comes like jumping in his seat and starts dating I would take it with me, Thompson said.
People have started making fan edits and getting on the bus. They both admit how lucky they are to be doing something they love for a living.
“Sometimes I look in the rearview mirror of the bus while driving. And I see all the dogs back there. And I can’t believe we do this for a living, he said.
The couple runs their puppy bus all year round and has no plans to expand. But they hope to make a little extra money through Tik Tok and expand into YouTube video monetization. Mo also organizes online trainings.
They recently did a national interview with CNN and were contacted by the Rachel Ray Show.
