Mojo's friends say that despite the dip in his stride, the short-spine Border collie is like any other thriving dog.
Meet Mojo, the elderly short-spine Border collie who has captured the hearts of Americans and dog lovers everywhere.
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“He looks like a living gargoyle. It's like picking up a concrete block – very compact,” his owner Robin Stamey told InsideEdition.com. “Other than his physical appearance, he’s really no different than my other two dogs.”
Mojo’s friends said despite the dip in his stride, the short spine Border collie is like any other thriving dog.
He currently lives in Florida, with Stamey and her wife, but Mojo’s journey from an Ohio shelter to her new forever home has been turbulent to say the least.
Julie LeRoy, a Hudson Valley woman, said she was first connected with Mojo years ago. She runs a popular Facebook page for her own dog with a short spine, Cuda. She said there are just 17 dogs living with the condition.
She told InsideEdition.com that five years ago, someone posted a photo of Mojo and his shelter ID to her Facebook page. LeRoy shared the post, and Mojo was soon adopted by Maria Rall, who LeRoy stayed in touch with over the years.
But two months ago, LeRoy received an email from Rall’s daughter, who said Rall had died from terminal cancer, and they needed help finding a new home for Mojo.
LeRoy knew that it would not be an easy feat since in addition to the pooch's special needs, he is now considered an elderly dog at 10 years old.
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Once again, she took to Facebook to look for a home for the short spine dog, and soon, rescuer Rachel Bryant, who lives only two hours away, said she was happy to open her home to Mojo, whether it be temporary or forever.
But, they soon realized that Mojo was battling a variety of health issues, so when Stamey, a retired veterinarian and friend of LeRoy, reached out about Mojo, she knew that the Florida couple would be the perfect parents to this elderly short spine dog.
“People like puppies and kittens, I like to rescue senior animals,” Stamey told InsideEdition.com. “I knew that he might have some particular veterinary issues may be related to being a short spine dog, and being a retired vet, I felt like I could give him a good home and deal with those issues.”
To bring the dog from Ohio to Florida, Leroy told InsideEdition.com that Bryant and Stamey decided to meet in the middle – Nashville, Tennessee.
After a tearful goodbye, Mojo was on his way to a forever home, and despite having moved from home to home in three months, as well as having all his teeth pulled due to health problems, “he’s doing good, he’s eating, he’s acclimating to the Florida weather,” LeRoy said.
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“I’ve since found out that he’s pretty normal basically," Stamey said. "He runs, he plays, and has a great time. He thinks he’s the king of the world.”
And despite the short spine dog being well and settled, LeRoy said she, Bryant and Stamey continue to keep in touch, with the bond of having had cared for a dog as rare as Mojo.
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