Top dog: Frankie the backpack beagle takes the internet by storm
Emma Davie | CBC News | Posted: August 27, 2019 9:00 AM | Last Updated: August 27, 2019
'I just thought people would get a kick out of it,' Frankie's owner says
Frankie the backpack beagle is taking the internet by storm.
The eight-year-old dog travels around Halifax in style, sporting "doggles" and riding in the backpack of his owner as he pedals his bike.
"I'll give him treats when we're riding along at red lights. Unlike most people, he likes red lights," said Garry Mullins, Frankie's owner.
"The reactions I've been getting, it's almost to the point where it's unsafe. Cars will just stop to take pictures."
Mullins used to take Frankie around in a bike trailer, but decided to get a backpack.
After he posted a video online, someone noticed Frankie was squinting — and suggested a pair of goggles.
"It was mostly for the hilarity," Mullins said.
"As soon as I got them, I put them on him and fed him treats for like half an hour with them on."
And Frankie's followers eat it up, too.
Mullins has been posting to Reddit and even made an Instagram account for his backpack buddy.
"I just thought people would get a kick out of it," he said.
Recently, he did a Reddit livestream that, at its peak, had more than 30,000 people watching Mullins bike around downtown Halifax with Frankie.
"I ran out of treats mid-stream which was pretty horrifying," he said. So he popped into Pet Valu on Spring Garden Road.
"I was just like, 'I'm streaming this, 30,000 people are watching my dog. I don't have my wallet. Can I have some treats?' And they gave us some."
He doesn't think Frankie has a sense of his newfound fame online. "But maybe he notices an increase in treats coming his way."
Mullins plans to keep sharing their adventures online.
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