Alaskan dog walker takes internet by storm with her dog minibus

By Jessica Hehir-Smith via SWNS

This dog walker has taken the internet by storm with her unique canine minibus.

Mo Thompson, 30, and her husband Lee, run Mo Mountain Mutts, a dog training, walking and sitting business.

The couple take care of up to five different groups every day, with Lee as the bus driver and Mo, who takes care of her doggie crew.

Mo began her dog-walking business independently in 2018, but after discovering she was pregnant in September 2021, Lee joined to help run the business together.

The videos show a range of Mo and Lee’s day-to-day activities, how the dogs are loaded and unloaded onto the bus and the essentials she needs to take care of them whilst on walks.

Mo, from Skagway, Alaska, said: “My parents were dog breeders and were really into mushing and dog shows.

“After months of taking my co-workers’ dogs on bike-and-hikes in between my other two jobs, I started Mo Mountain Mutts."

The couple started posting videos of their work to TikTok in August 2021, where they have gained millions of views and have a following of over 300,000 dog lovers.

Mo also uses her TikTok to share valuable information on dog training.

She said: “People always want to know the same sort of thing - how do we train them and what happens if things go wrong.

“We definitely always run into wildlife, primarily squirrels, bears and porcupines.

“Two of my own dogs Carl and Ekko are trained to help scare away bears and keep us safe.

“All the dogs in our groups must complete impulse control and recall training - it wouldn’t be safe to take out 12 wild dogs into the Alaskan wilderness without it."

Mo described how fulfilling her job is, especially now that she has millions of viewers enjoying what she does and wanting to know more.

She said: “You definitely form a relationship with the dogs. Some dogs I see twice a day, but some I only see once a week.

“The dogs that I walk every day a couple times a day know exactly where their seat is on the bus - it’s amazing!

“We have multiple groups and depending on who we have depends on where we go.

“For example, one of our packs is nicknamed the ‘Old and littles crew’ and we take them on the less-challenging trails.

“We really focus on mental and physical enrichment and providing the best experience during our pack walks. It’s the best job ever!”