On National Pet Day, we celebrate Pawsome Pets
At Sensay, our culture of happiness is created by our unique team of humans— and pets. Today we give a shoutout to a very special quadrupedal co-worker of ours named Mojo, an American Bulldog and Dogo Argentino mix.
It wasn’t always chew toys and brainstorming meetings for Mojo. Like many other rescue dogs, his journey from a backyard breeder through the foster care system to a loving home was a challenging one. The great love of humans gave this pony-sized puppy the home that he deserved.
Crystal Rose found Mojo immediately among his brothers and sisters in foster care. He was the only puppy with a black spot and his cuteness was overwhelming. “You could tell by his paws that Mojo was destined for big things — literally,” recalls Crystal. In fact, Mojo’s particular mixed breed of dog can range from 80–150 lbs, so a future with Mojo was going to be a large undertaking.
“It was his spot that made me spot him.” — Crystal Rose
Throughout his puppyhood he gained talents including paddle-boarding, assisted long boarding, paw-shakes, and high-fives. It was this unsurpassed intelligence that got Mojo his first job placement as an intern at Sensay when he first arrived at Cross Campus in Santa Monica, CA, where Sensay was starting out. Sensay was co-founded by his owner Crystal Rose and his friend Ariel Jalali.
Mojo had been an influential part of the tech scene since he debuted as the face of the Emoji dog, the Emojo 🐶. He would be frequently spotted networking at DogVacay ‘Yappy Hours’ with other pawsome office dogs.
As Sensay’s success grew, so did Mojo’s. He pawed his way to a full-time position when Sensay joined the Amplify LA accelerator in Venice, CA. On those late night work hours Mojo could always be counted on to guard his Sensay tribe and the other resident companies against hooligans, ne’er-do-wellers, drones, and the occasional squirrel. (Note: Both Sensay and Mojo realize not all squirrels are bad, but most of them are nuts.)
“He certainly stuck out among his K9 co-workers at the accelerator because, well, he’s gigantic.” — Ariel Jalali
Amplify was a space where Mojo’s talents were celebrated (he even became the first dog to be featured on Dogs of Amplify). He was held in high regard by his co-workers and neighbors, and could always be counted on to join lunches, especially on Taco Tuesdays. He was the first ambassador of Sensay’s culture to the community, and everyone loved him — except squirrels of course.
Following Amplify, it was time for Sensay and Mojo to cut the ribbon on a new office space in Santa Monica. With this new home and larger team came new responsibilities. Both Sensay founders Rose and Jalali knew that Mojo needed more assignments than just “give high-fives” or “get the ball! where’s your ball?”
On a sunny day in Fall of 2016, Mojo was given his official title of Head of Happiness. His new job allows Mojo to do what he does best — be a “paw-some dog.” On any given day you can find him prancing around with the team, breaking up Nerf gun battles, and clearing out rooms during product meetings with his unique odor — a nod to his early security days. Mojo apparently gets excited about a Sensay UX breakthroughs.
Mojo’s passion for sharing kisses, protecting the tribe and yummy treats have earned him the distinguished title of Head of Happiness.
We celebrate Mojo’s contributions to our office culture and also to our well being. When you’re 120lbs of puppy, you have to have a big heart, and Mojo shares his with everyone.
We send love to all the office pets, service animals, and best friends of every species. The great work by adoption programs like Best Friends Animal Society, ASPCA, NKLA and your local shelter provide tribes around the country with their own Mojo. Give them a well deserved hug for us today, and in turn we will give Mojo a hug from you.
Happy National Pet Day! #pawsomepet #awesomehumans
Have a pet story to share? Chat on Sensay and meet other people with pets like Mojo and our other office pet, Beta the Fish.
by Justin Jones, Community Sensay, NPR enthusiast, and father of an adorable Beta Fish named Todd. @mrjustinjones
