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The extraordinary adventure of a stray dog named Pip the ‘wonder pup’, who trotted five miles through a busy city to find his way home, can be revealed today.
Pip the Podencos wandered off chasing squirrels during a walk in Bristol with owner, Libby Bowles, 47, on Sept. 18.
While searching for him in Leigh Woods for 90 minutes, the brave little dog took to the streets and strolled all the way home, 20 minutes before Mrs Bowles arrived.
Now footage of the cheeky dog’s 4.8-mile journey through Bristol has come to light, showing him stopping traffic while merrily trotting along roads and over a bridge.
Pip the pedenco went on a 4.8 mie adventure through Bristol after getting lost while hunting squirrels. Here he is depicted turning heads as he makes his way down a road
From running around the Bristol Museum to crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Pip’s epic journey through Bristol took in many of the city’s landmarks
The brave little dog was filmed merrily wandering the road, crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge as cars slowly followed him
This ice cream truck caught the attention of the adventurous pet on his journey before Pip drove on and crossed the road
At some points he seemed to lose his direction, zigzagging across roads to find his way home
The video shows Pip merrily wandering the road and crossing the Clifton Suspension Bridge, completely oblivious to the line of cars patiently following him.
As he walked through town, the adventurous doggy turned heads as bewildered passers-by stopped to watch him make his way.
Previously, PIP was spotted taking a longing look at an ice cream truck before crossing a street.
At some points, the dog seemed to lose direction as CCTV captured him zigzagging across roads — all while a citywide hunt was underway to find him.
To try to track him down, Mrs. Bowles went to… local lost and found groups. Locals posted updates and CCTV footage when he was seen traveling around town, including outside his old home, in the park and outside a local museum.
Pip is a rabbit hunting dog rescued from Spain. Now a therapy dog, he is known around Bristol for being in Mrs Bowles’ backpack as she cycles around town.
Pip wandered off chasing squirrels during a walk in Bristol with owner, Libby Bowles (left), 47, on September 18
Pip, nicknamed ‘wonder pup’, walked home himself while his owner Mrs Bowles looked for him
Mrs Bowles said: ‘The point is he’s very calm and calm unless there’s something furry to chase.
“He’s run away before, but he’s always come back, so when he didn’t, I was pretty worried.
“I walked up and down our trail for an hour looking for him, and luckily ran into some friends who were going to the other side of the woods to see if they could find him. They did see him, but at the last minute he ran away from them under a fence.’
Pip’s escape sparked a city-wide chase. He was caught on CCTV footage in several places in the city, trotting along the sidewalk, unaware of the search crew.
Mrs Bowles said: ‘At first I thought, ‘How the hell is he going to cross Bristol alone?’ But luckily Pip has a good nose – he often takes me to his canine friends’ houses on our walks.
“The Bristol dog community is great so I put him in one of the groups and I got constant updates on where he had been seen. He went back to our old flat, past the Bristol Museum, literally all over Bristol.
“Eventually he was spotted in the park near our house, so I heaved a sigh of relief knowing he should be able to come home from there.
“I called our neighbors and they were all waiting for him when he came back. He apparently trotted around the corner quite casually. He had all his dog friends and lots of goodies waiting for him.’
Pip was caught on CCTV on his 7.6 mile walk home, which included a walk across the Clifton Suspension Bridge (pictured in the background)
Pip once belonged to a hunter in Spain. After being found on the street, he was rescued and adopted by Mrs Bowles, who works in sustainability education.
Now a therapy dog, Pip is part of a program called Read2Dogs, where kids can read to him instead of adults to increase their reading skills.
Ms Bowles said: ‘I used to be a primary school teacher and I find it such a valuable exercise that it has a profound effect on self-confidence in the classroom.
“I’m writing some books about Pip and his adventures so kids can read to Pip about all of his exciting stories.”