Mochi is a Samoyed who was raised to be a service dog for his elderly owner but she realized she couldn’t keep up with the 8-month-old energetic dog, so she decided to find him a new home.
Alison Forsyth has been looking for a Samoyed to adopt for many years now. And when she saw the post about Mochi online, she knew he was the dog she had been waiting for.
“She was very invested in him and obviously cared for him a lot,” Forsyth told The Dodo. “She spent lots of time with him as she had multiple disabilities that restricted her movement and lifestyle. We were very thorough in our adoption process, asked lots of questions and saw all of her paperwork. I saw the post on Wednesday, we met him Friday, and he came home with us Sunday afternoon.”
Having been raised as a service dog, Mochi is very gentle, attentive and sensitive to the needs of others. He loves kids and other dogs, but since he grew up in a quiet home and doesn’t have outdoor activities, he’s still trying to adapt to the outside world.
“He was raised in a quiet apartment with one woman in a small town; now he lives with my boyfriend and I in a big city,” Forsyth shared. “He still freaks out sometimes when a garbage truck or city bus passes by. We’re working on it! He’s only five weeks into his new home and he’s been a great sport so far.”
Mochi’s new family knew that he is an active dog but just doesn’t have a chance to go outside often so the couple decided to take him on his first hike to Rattlesnake Ledge, about 45 minutes outside of Seattle. As soon as they arrived, Mochi was completely in his character. He would say hi to every person and dog he met and explored every trail as they hiked along.
“He loved it, kept pulling us along when we got tired and was so, so, so happy at the top,” she continued. “You can see it in his facial expression. It was very new to him and you could see him taking in the whole new experience.”
