The people of northern Michigan have an internationally-recognized celebrity in their midst. He lives and works in Traverse City. He has been seen on television, heard about over the radio,and watched countless times on the internet.

Here are some statistics that illustrate this celeb’s status:

  • More than 11,000 Facebook page likes
  • More than 24,000 Instagram followers
  • More than 200,000 combined YouTube video views
  • Featured on ABC News, FOX News, NBC News, CNN, Inside Edition, and more
  • Personalized website, airportk9.org, with a web store, including hats, patches, and decals

He is neither an actor nor a musician, an athlete nor a politician. Quite simply, he is a dog.

K-9 Piper is an eight-year-old border collie, who works at the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City. Piper is a wildlife control K-9. His purpose is to increase safety at airports by responding directly to reports of wildlife and conducting regular patrols. In other words, he is responsible for chasing away any animal life that may inhibit the safe take-off and landing of aircraft.

Piper’s owner and handler, Brian Edwards, has been airport supervisor at Cherry Capital Airport since 2008. He came into ownership of Piper in 2012. Recognizing the dog’s natural abilities for airport work early, Edwards trained Piper to become the working dog that we see today.

The story of Edwards and Piper first came into the public eye in April 2015. A writer from MLive put together an article about the extraordinary airport employee after the United States Coast Guard air station in Traverse City posted a picture of Piper on their Facebook page.

That got the ball rolling. The story was picked up by various news outlets across the country. And it didn’t stop there. Piper’s story caught a second wind in late February 2016 after a training video posted by Edwards went viral on the popular website Reddit.

After the training video, the floodgates were opened. “The first few weeks after he went viral were crazy,” says Edwards. “Neither of us got much sleep between work and all the interviews.” Stories about Piper stretched across the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Columbia, England, South Africa, and many other places.

Despite the nonstop attention, the famous duo hasn’t shied away from their local fans. “We get messages almost daily from people asking if they can meet him,” Edwards explains. “Our door is open; we love it when people stop by.”

The celebrity status achieved by Piper begs the question: what makes him so popular? He is not the only cute pooch out there who wears a fancy outfit and does extraordinary things. What makes him different?

Edwards believes it’s a combination of a lot of things, “He’s obviously cute, he’s got a personality, he does a unique thing,” reflects Edwards. “He’s a bad ass.”

According to Edwards, Piper is hardworking. He doesn’t complain. He chases (literally) his desires without fear or hesitation. He possesses loyalty and unconditional love for the person who cares for him.

Piper takes all the positive attributes seen in others and puts it into a small, furry package (with a fancy outfit).

With this in mind, it is easy to see why Piper has captured the world’s attention. Northern Michigan is privileged to have him in their own backyard. He is their extraordinary dog.