IS DOG FAME THE WAY FORWARD?

Meet Pablo, the trailblazing dog celebrity/influencer, and one of the most famous dogs in the UK

Pablo is a social media star (with well over 100,000 Instagram and Tiktok followers), he’s the star of a billboard campaign, and now star of his own book series. Pablo is a dog. And his owner’s quest to make him famous is quite by design, hoping it might kickstart a new cultural trend.

“The beauty of dog fame is there is no downside,” says Bobby Breese. “Dogs are attention seekers, much like some wannabee reality TV stars. But the difference is that attention and fame doesn’t change a dog’s personality, they are completely unaware of their changed status. Concepts of fame or notoriety don't enter their consciousness, they don’t see fame and celebrity as measures of success, and paparazzi intrusion wouldn’t cause them any undue stress or lead to a stint in rehab. All it means to them is more attention, treats and belly rubs from strangers, and human attention is exactly what dogs hanker after the most.”

Pablo is a Borador, which is a cross breed of half a border collie and half a labrador. Bobby is a huge fan of this unique mix, describing him as half-intelligent half-greedy, but is also keen to point out that his best qualities are those shared by all dogs. “Pablo is special to us in the same way all dogs are special to their owners. The unconditional loyalty and love, the entertainment and clownery they provide, and the empathy and ability to sync their behaviour with their owners over time”.

So how did Pablo’s fame come about?

“He’s always been a bit of a local celebrity around North-West London, when out on walks he gets stopped in the street or ushered into his local butchers for some treats,” said Bobby. “But it is in the local pubs that he has become best known and built his social media following. His party trick is asking the bar staff for his own particular tipple (a bowl of water with ice).”

Pablo was recently entered into a competition to become one of the stars of a new advertising campaign by his dog food brand Butternut Box. Lo and behold, they were charmed by his cheeky antics and Pablo can now be spotted on billboards across London.

Bobby has always been a keen writer, and Pablo coming into his life, and the adventures they get up to, has inspired his latest venture. Pablo is now the star of his own book series, The Adventures of Pablo, and until the start of May you can get your hands on Pablo’s books through a Kickstarter campaign.

Bobby thinks he’s hit on a winning formula. “The books themselves are unique in that there is a children’s and adult book for each story, so there is something for everyone. And everyone is literally a winner. The more famous Pablo gets, and the more social media followers he gets, the more the books will be worth over time. The more books that are sold, the more treats and adventures Pablo gets, and some of the money will be going to dog charities too,” says Bobby.

For more information on Pablo’s books that are available now until the start of May, visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theadventuresofpablo/the-adventures-of-pablo-valuable-keepsake-books

To join Pablo’s social media fan club use his handle @pablotheborador, or check out his website https://www.theadventuresofpablo.com/