Mochi

“He literally saved my life.”

Mochi
Goofy, Cheerful, Easy-Going, Always Hungry
4 years old
Bichon Frise

Follow his Instagram:
@jemappelle.mochi

How did/does Mochi help you?
Vincci explained, “I got my dog, Mochi, in 2016 at the height of my depression. 4 years prior to that, I had moved to Toronto alone and had great difficulty integrating into my local community. I had barely any friends, kept to myself, and almost never went out. As time went on, it became a continually perpetuating cycle and I got worse and worse. By mid-2016, I had tried 4 different anti-depressants (all of which I failed to tolerate well), my psychologist said she could no longer help me, I was on a lengthy wait-list to see a psychiatrist and had been hospitalized numerous times for self-harm. My therapist at the time suggested getting an emotional support dog.

That was when my life turned around. Mochi is the happiest dog I've ever met and having him has been absolutely life-changing. He gave me something to look forward to everyday and I am overall functioning a lot better. Even little things like watching how excited he gets when I wake up puts a positive spin on my day. Because he is such a cute fluff, I always get stopped on the street by friendly strangers for a quick chat, which is something I would not have dreamt of ever doing before Mochi. We are also active on Instagram, where I document the places I take him and many aspects of his everyday life. Through this, I've been able to integrate into a group of Toronto Instagram dog owners and often attend meetups (pawties!) and other local events - again, something that I could not have done prior to Mochi.

Of course, my depression has not completely gone away. I still have my bad days. But Mochi always senses when I'm not feeling my best and will place his paw on my leg, jump on my lap or snuggle up on my chest. He gives me solace knowing that I don't have to explain myself but that he'll still rest quietly by my side in support.

I would love to do an in-home photoshoot with him because I'm often the one behind the camera and I don't have many photos of him and I together. Unfortunately, I know Mochi won't live forever, so I really want to capture some of the moments we share because he literally saved my life.”

Does Mochi have a funny quirk?
“He really cares about bedtime. If we’re not in bed by midnight exactly, he’ll become very unimpressed and force us to go lay down.”

What’s the best thing about raising him?
“How happy he makes us. He’s just the best. He’s always happy to see us and it always makes us feel good, especially on a bad day.”

What’s the hardest part about raising him?
“He’s a white dog which makes him harder to keep clean and he needs a lot of grooming. We take him to the groomers every 4 weeks.”

What are some of Mochi’s favourite things?
“His hedgehog named Hedgey is his favourite toy. His favourite spot in the house is the WHOLE bed and the couch. And, he loves to eat cheese, watermelon and beef tripe.”