It’s not every day you meet a dog with celebrity status, but border collie and Australian shepherd cross Mo, also known as Fish and Chips, has proven himself quite the stealer of hearts.
John Stewart felt drawn to Mo from the moment they met, after neighbours found Mo wandering the street near his house in February.
But Mr Stewart already had a beloved senior dog at home, a beautiful Alaskan malamute named Myah, and was unable to take Mo in.
Months later, when Myah’s health rapidly declined, the family had no choice but to make the difficult decision to not let her suffer.
A few days later, Mr Stewart received a call from the pound asking if he would like to adopt Mo, as his old owners had decided to surrender him.
“We were broken by the loss, and we as a family had a lot of conversations about whether the story [of adopting Mo] was meant to happen,” Mr Stewart said.
In the end, Mo was brought home, and Mr Stewart said he had since brought joy to the family after such a tragic loss.
The affectionate nickname came from their first meal together but how does one get Mo from Fish and Chips?
“The idea of his abandonment really stuck with me, and I thought [his name] just had to be Mo,” Mr Stewart said.
Mo, short for Moses, is taken from the story in the Bible where baby Moses is discovered in the reeds of a riverbank by a woman who takes him in and loves him.
The Boulevard and Golf Estates community in Shepparton has been invested in Mo since his first appearance on its Facebook page.
From there, a group of people trying to find Mo’s owners quickly became an avid fan club.
Mr Stewart said there were requests for updates on Mo daily and that he and Mo had been stopped many times on their walks for a bit of celebrity attention.
“People say that he chose us,” Mr Stewart said.
“The people here are wonderful.”
Mo no doubt agrees, especially when they come armed with gift baskets full of goodies to help him settle in to his new home.
“He is an incredibly intelligent dog,” Mr Stewart said.
“When we first got him, he wouldn’t even sit.
“We’ve worked really hard, and he’s coming along really well.”
Mo has learnt to sit and shake hands and has made tremendous progress when walking on a lead.
At this point, the only thing this clever dog can’t seem to conquer is his fear of the garbage truck.
Mr Stewart wished to acknowledge Stewart and Arlene Begg for their contributions to covering Mo’s adoption fee and thanked Michelle Somerville for her generosity.
“There is no shame in surrendering an animal to a safe place,” Mr Stewart said.
“If you were his owner, thank you, he has brought so much joy to our family and to everyone.”
At the end of the day, everybody loves Fish and Chips — even the stars that aligned to bring him to his new home.