Three years ago, on a stormy day, a small mongrel puppy was found wandering the highway near the Ocala National Forest. Fortunately, a woman saw the pup and picked it up, taking it to Leesburg resident Sharon Dodsworth until the owner could be found.
“We put an ad on social media and the owners were tracked down, but found out it wasn’t the first time she had come out,” Dodsworth said. “This family loved her very much, but they were a busy family and they couldn’t keep up with Mocha. She had been missing for two weeks. So I told them I would be happy to relocate her and they thought that was it. better.
Dodsworth already had another little pup, named Royal, who she uses to model her handmade dog clothes for her Etsy store, RoyalRagsToRiches.com. Mocha and Royal bonded and Sharon decided to see how Mocha was modeling.
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“She took to it naturally,” Dodsworth said. “She is very patient and doesn’t hesitate to wear the dresses. She even does this over the shoulder pose which is very cute.
Mocha and Royal have been featured in several publications with local contests and events, and recently Mocha was a finalist for America’s Next Top Dog Model.
Mocha is now starring in a Chewy ‘Chewtorial’ video
“Last October, I sent Chewy a letter and pictures of Royal and Mocha and they called me and asked them to come over for a studio test,” Dodsworth said.
Royal and Mocha passed the studio test with flying colors and said they would call them when a gig that matched their profile came up. That call came a few months ago when Mocha had the opportunity to be featured in a “Chewtorial” on how to properly measure your pet for clothing.
“It was perfect for her since she’s been wearing my clothes,” Dodsworth said. “It was an all-day shoot at the studio. They said she was doing well on set and on her lunch break she fell asleep because she was devastated. But when they called, she got up and pranced down the hall to the set. She was such a pupstar.”
The Chewtorial is now available on Chewy’s YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCEvYN_HqC4&t=1s.
“The main reason it’s amazing to me is because it shows what rescue dogs can do,” Dodsworth said. “My two dogs were rescued and they are amazing. Rescue dogs are capable of so many amazing things and I want to promote that.
