Moz was only a tiny little stray when Hopalong Animal Rescue saved him from the docks in Oakland.
Thanks to this amazing program, Moz was able to go to one of the best foster homes in the area.
At the time, Thom McCallum was already fostering three other dogs, but when he heard about a tiny, deaf puppy needing help, he simply couldn’t say no.
And, so Mozart Patagonia McCallum III, a.k.a. Moz, was welcomed to the pack. This is his little story.
Meet Moz
When Moz arrived at the McCallum household, he was in pretty bad shape.
“Moz was just a mess. He was this scrawny, hairless, weird-looking stray. And he was deaf,” Thom told The Dodo.
He was only about three months old, extremely skinny, and suffering from some wild skin issues.
As soon as he arrived at the house, Moz just fell asleep for almost a day and a half. He finally felt safe, but he was also in a bit of shock.
It took some time for him to recover and get used to the routine, but with all the love he got from Thom and the rest of the pack, everything was easier.
The way other dogs immediately accepted Moz and took care of him was beautiful.
“I take in all kinds of fosters and do my best to find them their forever homes. And most of the homes that I’ve found are right here in my neighborhood,” Thom said.
That is exactly how Moz met his new family and his favorite person in the world – a two-year-old girl named Lillian.
Thom would take the dogs for a walk every day around his neighborhood in Berkeley, California, and since Moz was still small, he would be in his backpack.
On their regular walking route, there was this house only two blocks away that they would go by. There lived the Hall family, with two small children who loved animals, especially their 2-year-old daughter, Lillian.
Love At First Sight
“Our kids were home with us, all day long, and so we spent a lot of time looking out the front windows. Thom would walk by with Moz in his backpack, and so we would all go outside and say hi. Our daughter, who is 2 years old, just really loves quiet, mellow, gentle creatures,” Lauren Hall, Lillian’s mother, told The Dodo.
There was an instant connection between the two. They were both almost the same size and at a similar pace in life.
She would walk him, pet him, and play with him almost every day. Their friendship blossomed with each passing day.
When Thom had to go on a business trip for two weeks, the family agreed to dog-sit Moz and see how it would all go.
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Lillian truly acted like Moz was her baby and she was his mom. This little deaf dog wouldn’t leave her side – he was a velcro dog.
“He would just go with us wherever we went. He really did fit in pretty seamlessly,” Lauren said.
When Thom came back from the trip, he knew that Moz had already found his forever home.
Two Hearts, One Home
Moz was not going anywhere.
The second Moz got his final vaccination, Thom took out his leash, and they walked to his new home. “I said goodbye to him and gave him straight to Lillian and her family,” Thom said.
“The girl who can’t stop talking and the guy who can’t hear anything,” Thom said.
It was a match made in heaven. Lillian was over the moon, and she simply kept repeating, “I’m Moz forever family!”
For more photos of the most adorable duo, follow Moz on Instagram.
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