THE WASHINGTON POST: Dogs are riding customised buses and people are ‘obsessed’

A dog boarding and walking business in Alberta, Canada, bought a school bus two years ago to transport its canine clients to and from adventure walks.

“Who doesn’t love dogs on a bus?” said Emma Godley, owner of Escape to the Country.

But she had no idea the scope of that love until she started posting videos of her bus on Instagram.

A recent video — showing howling dogs before an adventure walk and exhausted pups after the excursion — has almost 85 million views and more than 15,500 comments on Instagram.

“OMG I want to be their bus driver!! I’m getting a puppy suit so I can fit in,” someone commented in all caps.

“I didn’t realise that people would like them as much as they do,” Godley said.

Dog-walking companies are increasingly taking their canine clients on pack walks in customised buses, then sharing their daily adventures online. People say the are “obsessed” with the videos, even jokingly questioning their life choices in the comments. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a job so bad in my life,” wrote one person.

“Today I learned that I can watch dogs getting on a bus for hours,” someone else commented on a TikTok posted by Mo Mountain Mutts, a dog walking and training business in Skagway, Alaska.

Mo Mountain Mutts, which has about 2.3 million followers on TikTok, had a media moment two years ago with its bus, and since then, other doggie carpool groups have popped up across the country and beyond. People say the videos are a salve. They also find it hilarious to see dogs sitting in designated seats, facing the front like humans.

“If I pulled up next to this bus at a red light I think I’d die laughing,” someone commented on a viral dog bus video.

“Wait. Do they have assigned seats or do they get to pick their own each day? I’m obsessed,” wrote someone else on a video. The answer: “Little of both.”

Godley, who was inspired by Mo Mountain Mutts to get her own dog bus, has been especially stunned by the details viewers pick up on in the viral clips, with some people keeping an eye out for certain dogs.

“Everybody loves Earl,” Godley said of the senior Jack Russell terrier, who is famous for wearing goggles as his eyes are sensitive to light. “He’s a fan favorite.”

Katie Michailuck, social media manager for Escape to the Country, said she might in fact have the best job ever, as people tell her all the time.

“It’s pretty great,” Michailuck said, adding that she enjoys sharing the perks of her job with strangers online. “It brings people up when they’re feeling down.”

In Oconto, Wisconsin, K9 Konvoy runs a similar operation, using a white school bus with black paw prints to transport about 22 dogs on a daily pack walk.

“I’d seen other dog buses, so I was like, ‘I’ll give it a shot,’” said K9 Konvoy owner Hope Mehlberg.

K9 Konvoy — which has almost 1 million followers on TikTok — posts videos of snack time, pickups and drop offs.

“We are receiving fan mail from all over the place,” Mehlberg said. “It’s worldwide that people are reaching out. It’s insane.”

In Calgary, Ruff and Puff Doggie Daycare owner Denzel Morrison started driving a dog bus back in 2020. “It’s really awesome. Not many people get to have a job like this, living their dream.”

Ruff and Puff transports about 40 dogs daily, along with occasional “puppy days,” for younger riders. One viral video shows tiny pups sitting patiently in their seats.

“I am 100% sure this is a section in heaven,” someone commented on a post of the puppy bus.

“Ok some got 2 treats but not everybody. The police are on the way,” another person chimed in.

With more than 752,000 followers on Instagram, Morrison said people love the videos for the same reason he does: seeing the dogs so happy.

“That never gets old,” he said.

Sue DiMaio, the owner of Sit Stay Train and Play - a day care program for pups in Northwestern Connecticut - said her canine clients wait for her to pull up in a big green school bus.

“They’ll be waiting at the door,” DiMaio said. “The dogs get so excited to get on the bus.”

Through their daily rides, the pups have developed relationships with the other dogs.

“It’s like high school,” DiMaio said. “They have cliques, they have friends. It’s hilarious.”

The dogs get plenty of treats, and sometimes, Starbucks puppuccinos.

People keep coming back for more, and say they have no intention of stopping.

“I love these dog bus videos,” someone commented on one of DiMaio’s posts. “No matter my mood, they always raise my vibration.”

For dogs, drivers and viewers, DiMaio said, the pup buses are about more than cute content.

“They bring joy,” she said. “They really do.”

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