Lost dog walks home FIVE MILES through Bristol after going missing while chasing squirrels while out with his owner
- Pip went for a walk in Bristol with owner Libby Bowles on September 18.
- As the 47-year-old man searched for Leigh Woods, the pup walked the 4.6 miles to his home.
- Locals posted updates on local groups when he was spotted traveling around town.
A lost dog nicknamed ‘wonder pup’ walked home five miles through a busy city while his owner searched for him.
Pip wandered off while chasing squirrels on a stroll through Bristol with owner Libby Bowles, 47, on Sept. 18.
While she spent 90 minutes looking for him in Leigh Woods, the pup hit the streets and walked home, arriving 20 minutes before Mrs Bowles.
He was caught on CCTV during his 4.6-mile walk home, which included a ride across the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
To try to locate him, Mrs. Bowles had taken local lost and found groups. Locals posted updates and CCTV footage of him traveling around town, including outside his former home, in the park and outside a local museum.
Pip wandered off while chasing squirrels on a walk in Bristol with owner Libby Bowles (left), 47, on September 18.
Pip, nicknamed ‘wonder pup’, walked home five miles through the busy city of Bristol while his owner Mrs Bowles searched for him.
Pip, a pedenco, is a rabbit hunting hound rescued from Spain.
Now a therapy dog, he is well known in Bristol because he sits on Mrs Bowles’ backpack while she rides her bike around town.
Mrs Bowles said: “The thing is, it’s very quiet and placid unless there’s something furry to chase.”
“He’s run away before, but he always comes back, so when he didn’t, I was pretty worried.”
“I spent an hour walking our route looking for it and luckily ran into some friends who went around to the other side of the woods to see if they could find it. They actually saw him, but then at the last minute he slipped out from under a fence.
Pip’s escape sparked a citywide manhunt. He was captured on CCTV at various locations around the city, jogging down the sidewalk, unaware of the search party.
Mrs Bowles said: “At first I thought, ‘How on earth is he going to cross Bristol alone?’ But, luckily, Pip has a good nose: he often takes me to the homes of his dog friends on our walks.
“The dog community in Bristol is amazing so I put him in one of the groups and got constant updates on where he was being seen. He went back to our old apartment, went through the Bristol museum, literally all over Bristol.
“Eventually they saw it in the park near our house, so I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew I should be able to get home from there.”
I called our neighbors and they were all waiting for him when he came back. She apparently trotted around the corner rather nonchalantly. He had all his dog friends and lots of treats waiting for him.
Pip was caught on CCTV during his 4.6-mile walk home, which included a walk across the Clifton Suspension Bridge (pictured in background)
Pip once belonged to a hunter in Spain.
After being found on the streets, he was rescued and adopted by Mrs. Bowles, who works in sustainability education.
Pip is now a therapy dog as well as being part of a program called Read2Dogs, where children can read to him instead of adults to improve their literacy skills.
Mrs Bowles said: ‘I used to be a primary school teacher and I think it is a very valuable exercise, it has a profound effect on confidence in the classroom.
“I’m writing some books about Pip and her adventures, so the kids can read to Pip about all her exciting stories.”
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