Pipper (dog)
 Pipper in San Sebastián with his tour guide to the city, 2021 | |
| Species | Canis familiaris |
|---|---|
| Breed | Parson Russell Terrier |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | May 2016 (age 10) Urnieta, Spain |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Travelling around Spain, Pipper en ruta |
| Title | Tourism ambassador of the Regional Government of Castile and León |
| Owner | Pablo Muñoz Gabilondo |
| Pipper on Tour | |
Pipper (born May 2016) is a Parson Russell Terrier from Spain. With his owner Pablo Muñoz Gabilondo, he has toured Spain since 2018 to highlight dog-friendly tourist locations. His travels have been sponsored by corporations and by the Regional Government of Castile and León, which named him as a tourist ambassador. Pipper and Muñoz's experiences have been documented on their website, and on the television series Pipper en ruta on La 2 (2023–2024).
Biography
[edit]Pipper was born in May 2016[1] at Borda Txiki, a country house in Urnieta in the Basque Country.[2] In his first year, he was adopted by Pablo Muñoz Gabilondo, a journalist from nearby San Sebastián but resident in Madrid, who had never had a dog before. Muñoz found that few leisure facilities permitted dogs, and was inspired by canine travel ambassadors in other countries such as Japan that he saw on Instagram.[1]
Muñoz made a list of 50 iconic destinations in Spain to test for their friendliness towards dogs. He found sponsors for his journey, including the Regional Government of Castile and León, Bayer, and public rail network Renfe.[1] Their journey began in May 2018 in Salamanca, in Castile and León.[3] Their 22,000 km journey ended in June 2019 in Toledo; Muñoz said that only one site in the city admitted Pipper, and that 5% of hotels permitted dogs, compared to national and European averages of 18% and 40%.[4] From October, Muñoz and Pipper began another tour, starting with the region of El Bierzo in Castile and León. In the same month in the city of León, a comic book was launched with Pipper as a protagonist. The book sought to educate about the responsibility of dog ownership to prevent abandonment, and encourage the admission of dogs to tourist locations.[5]
By October 2023, Pipper had toured for 50,000 km and visited one hundred locations. That month, RTVE announced the series Pipper en ruta for La 2, which would follow Muñoz and Pipper's travels.[6] A second season was broadcast in January 2024.[7]
Recognition
[edit]In June 2018, Pipper was named a tourism ambassador by the Regional Government of Castile and León, as part of an initiative to bring visibility to tourism with dogs.[8] In December 2020, a park for dogs was opened in Antequera in Andalusia. The park had dedications to nine notable dogs, including Pipper.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Rodrigo, Belén (15 June 2018). "Pipper, el perro que recorre España para descubrir los destinos turísticos dogfriendly" [Pipper, the dog who tours Spain to discover dog-friendly tourist destinations]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ del Teso, Begoña (7 January 2020). "«Estoy en tratamiento para desengancharme de los balones»" ["I am in treatment to get off my addiction to balls"]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Pipper, el primer perro turista e 'influencer' del mundo, dará la vuelta a España para fomentar el turismo con canes" [Pipper, the first tourist and influencer dog in the world, will tour Spain to boost tourism with dogs] (in Spanish). Antena 3. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Pipper, el perro 'influencer', cierra en Toledo su ronda española de promoción del turismo con mascotas" [Pipper, the influencer dog, ends in Toledo his Spanish tour of promotion of tourism with pets]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 11 June 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Pipper, el perro influecer [sic] que presenta su cómic en León" [Pipper, the influencer dog who presents his comic in León]. Diario de León (in Spanish). 21 October 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "Pipper, el primer perro que ha dado la vuelta a España, estrena programa en La 2" [Pipper, the first dog to tour Spain, has brand new programme on La 2]. El Correo Gallego (in Spanish). 22 October 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "'Pipper', el perro que promociona Cantabria con sus viajes" ['Pipper', the dog who promotes Cantabria with his journeys]. El Diario Cantabria (in Spanish). 10 November 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ "El perro Pipper será el embajador del turismo para mascotas en CyL" [Pipper the dog will be the ambassador of tourism for pets in Castile and León] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
- ↑ Guerrero, Antonio J. (29 December 2020). "Antequera abre sus puertas a las mascotas con un parque y un sello distintivo" [Antequera opens its doors to dogs with a park and a distinctive branding]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Pipper en ruta on RTVE Play