Go Mojo Go!

Trick dog wins hearts of owners and fans

Discarded.

That’s what he was until Saladoans Bill and Connie Hall saw him outside Petco a couple years back.

Now Mojo, a two-year-old blue heeler mix has his own Facebook page and Youtube videos. He has been featured in newspaper articles, TV news and trade magazine stories.

He and Connie have performed around the state and as far away as Georgia, where they performed a five minute routine in front of more than 6,000 fans at the National Barrell Horse Association (NBHA) Youth Finals.

When Mojo took off around the barrels, the audience of barrel horse racing fans went nuts for the knee-high dog that the Halls adopted just over two years ago.

Connie and Bill got him for their grandbaby, who tragically died while at daycare. At that time, Connie was teaching him basic tricks like fetching and playing baseball.

Now, he has routines which incorporate Gangnam style dancing (alongside Connie in her cowgirl boots and jeans), barrel racing, Frisbee tricks and even CPR.

He’ll lay patiently on his back while Connie administers the ‘CPR’ and then jump back to life before giving CPR to a prone Connie. “He does, he breathes right in my mouth,” Connie said. She confides that sometimes it’s a bit messy.

His forte’, though, are Frisbee tricks. But only with Tractor Supply soft frisbees. “He won’t have anything to do with any other Frisbee,” Connie said. “He’s funny that way. Stubborn.”

And smart. Connie said that she began training Mojo seriously before he was six months old. Most professional trainers don’t begin intense training until the dogs mature to about two years old, Connie said.

Bill attributes Mojo’s ability to the fact that he is not indeed a canine. “He’s a human in a dog suit,” he said.

Mojo travels with Connie and Bill whenever Bill has auctions, which is pretty regular since he has been a professional auctioneer for more than 30 years. Most folks recognize Bill’s face from the many local charity auctions he does in and around Salado.

But soon, they may begin to recognize Bill as Connie’s husband and Mojo’s dad, as the two gain more fans for their performances.

Connie and Mojo will perform this weekend at Wildfire Ranch during the Open to the World. After the best ropers in the business have gone through and qualified for the Short Round, Mojo and Connie will entertain the crowd before the first go of the Short Round. You can catch the two performing in the late afternoon, most likely between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., depending upon the timing of the ropings.

This will be his second performance at the Open to the World.

Earlier this week, he returned to the Bell County Expo Center where he performed at the mini-rodeo.

The little guy has come a long way since Bill and Connie first fell in love with him yapping at them to adopt him and take him home.

And he still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

To learn more about Mojo, find him on Facebook at gomojogo.