DOGS ARE RIDING CUSTOMIZED BUSES AND PEOPLE ARE ‘OBSESSED’

“We are receiving fan mail from all over the place,” said K9 Konvoy owner Hope Mehlberg. “It’s worldwide that people are reaching out. It’s insane.”

Two years ago, Emma Godley, owner of Escape to the Country, a dog boarding and walking business in Alberta, Canada, bought a school bus to transport her canine clients to and from their adventure walks.

“Who doesn’t love dogs on a bus?” said Godley.

However, she didn’t anticipate just how much people would love it until she started sharing videos of the bus on Instagram.

A recent video, featuring howling dogs before their walk and tired pups after the excursion, has gone viral, racking up nearly 85 million views and over 15,500 comments.

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

“I didn’t realize people would love them as much as they do,” Godley said.

Dog-walking companies are increasingly transporting their canine clients on group walks in specially designed buses, sharing their daily adventures online. Viewers are going wild for the videos, with many humorously questioning their own life choices in the comments. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a job so badly in my life,” one person wrote.

“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, with around 2.3 million followers on TikTok, had a viral moment two years ago with its bus, and since then, other dog carpool groups have sprung up across the country and internationally. Viewers say the videos are a comforting escape, and many find it hilarious to see dogs sitting in their own seats, facing forward like little 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.”