Mr. Moose isn’t just an idea - he is a character that is based off of my dog Moose. I was laying in bed one morning, trying to get a few more minutes of sleep, but Moose had other plans. He wanted to play and started getting into whatever he could get his paws on. While I was a little frustrated that I couldn’t sleep in and now had a little mess to clean up, an idea for a story popped into my head...

Early in the morning, when the sun was coming up, a tired mama laid in bed snuggled up to her pup. His name is Mr. Moose, and he was ready to play. But mama said “5 more minutes, then we’ll start our day!”

As soon as I move, Moose is ready to get up and go. His energy levels are always on another level, and I tell him often, “Mr. Moose, you’re doing the most!” From the way he greets you to the way he makes his bed, Moose doesn’t do anything, without doing it on level “extra.” That’s one of the reasons why I love him so much. If he didn’t do the most, then he wouldn’t be Mr. Moose.

The character idea for Mr. Moose is mostly based off of his puppy stage. My illustrator, Lily Ashton, was such a joy to work with, and she really helped bring my idea for Mr. Moose to life. Her artwork is featured throughout my website. If you are interested in checking out some more of her work, her portfolio can be found here.

—Tiffany Pery

Below are just a few photos of the real life Mr. Moose!