When Chris and Mareisa Hughes first got together, they liked each other. But once they learned that they both shared an abnormal love of dogs, they realized that they should never part, so they tied the knot and got married. Together, they have fostered countless dogs, helping them find their forever homes. And they’ve also done their fair share of adopting canines, giving the dogs they welcomed into their lives the forever home they deserve.
When Chris and Mareisa first met, they had eight dogs between them. Mareisa was the owner of two canines, while Chris had six dogs living with him. They were a solid match right from the beginning with their shared love of dogs.
“[Chris] had a rescue before The Mr. Mo Project called ‘Rowdy to the Rescue,’” Mariesa told ABC News. “He was fostering Moses at the time, then ended up keeping him. Sam had a lot of fear and anxiety and was never adopted out, and Meatball has been returned three times. So then, he had the 6 [dogs].”
When the couple introduced their dogs to each other, all of the pooches got along just fine. It was not long after that that the couple moved in together and started sharing their lives – and their love for dogs.
Because they loved dogs so much, they started the Mr. Mo Project to rescue dogs that were in their golden years. Too often, old and sick dogs never find a forever home. It became Chris and Mareisa’s mission to find these hard-to-home dogs the homes they deserve.
At the time of their move-in together, Chris and Mareisa wanted to have a bed built that would be large enough for all of their dogs to sleep in with them at night. Their dogs were Mabel, Gremlin, Meatball, Tejas, Money, The Stig, Sam, and Quinn.
The couple reached out to a local builder named Mike Ford. As a craftsman who shared a love for dogs, Ford was eager to make the couple’s dream of having a large bed for all their dogs a reality.
“I’m a dog lover myself, especially senior dogs,” Ford said. “They came up with the idea for the king-sized bed and asked me to come up with the concept to make it all work.”
Ford built the bed out of solid cherry wood. The bed frame was built, so it was strong enough to withstand the weight of all the dogs. Ford also built a staircase up to the top of the bed so the little pooches would have a way into the cozy place.
The couple loves their big bed. And their dogs love it, too!
“I wake up, and I think, ‘This is incredible. I’m like a contortionist with Stig spooning me and Gremlin between my legs and Sam sharing my pillow,’” Mariesa said. “They love it. They love to just be near us. So however we can make that happen, they’re happy.”