On a stormy day three years ago, a small mixed-breed pup was found wandering the highway out near the Ocala National Forest. Thankfully, a woman saw the pup and picked her up, taking her to Leesburg resident Sharon Dodsworth’s home until the owner could be found. 

“We put an ad up on social media and the owners were found, but come to find out, this wasn’t the first time she had gotten out,” Dodsworth said. “That family loved her dearly but they were a busy family and couldn’t keep up with Mocha. She had been missing for two weeks. So I told them I would be happy to re-home her and they thought that was best.” 

Dodsworth already had another small pup, named Royal, that she uses to model her handmade dog clothes for her Etsy shop, RoyalRagsToRiches.com. Mocha and Royal bonded and Sharon decided to see how Mocha did at modeling.

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“She took to it naturally,” Dodsworth said. “She’s very patient and doesn’t mind wearing 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 in America’s Next Top Dog Model. 

“Last October, I sent Chewy a letter and photos of Royal and Mocha and they called me and asked them to come in for a studio test,” Dodsworth said. 

Both Royal and Mocha passed the studio test with flying colors and said they would give them a call when a gig that fit 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 did great on set and during her lunch break, she went to sleep because she was wiped out. But when they called her, she got back up and pranced down the hallway back to the set. She was such a 'pupstar.' ” 

The Chewtorial is now up on Chewy’s YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCEvYN_HqC4&t=1s.

“The main reason this is amazing to me is because it showcases what rescue dogs can do,” Dodsworth said. “Both of my dogs were rescues and they are amazing. Rescue dogs are capable of so many amazing things and I want to promote that.”