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Celebration of Life planned for Piper ‘the Airport Dog’

Posted at 4:02 AM, Jan 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-15 04:05:16-05

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The community will come together to remember a four-legged friend that was a staple of the Traverse City area for nearly 9 years.

Piper, ‘The Airport Dog,’ lost his battle to cancer over a week ago.

Piper became famous after photographs and news spread of his job at the Cherry Capital Airport.  This 9-year-old dog chased birds off the runway to keep the area safe for planes arriving and departing.

A celebration of life will be held on January 20 at 3 p.m. at the City Opera House on Front Street in Traverse City.

“I’m just overwhelmed again by the outpouring of support. I can tell you this, 100% it’s really helped me because as I said in my post, my heart has definitely been shattered,” Brian Edwards, Piper’s owner, told FOX 17. “I’ll never be able to get through all the thousands of comments and everything, but I just want people to know how much it’s appreciated by me and my family.”

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Please join us for a public memorial remembering K-9 Piper at the City Opera House in Traverse City, MI. Doors open at 2:30p. No tickets are needed and admission is first come, first serve. . Hosted by Jack O'Malley of WTCM, this short service will begin at 3:00p and features guest speakers, a video tribute, and words from Brian. . For those of you not able to make it, the event will be live-streamed on our Facebook page. . Unfortunately, dogs (other than service dogs) are not allowed inside the Opera House. . Special thanks to the following for making this event happen: @city_opera_house @tothewolves.co @thirdcoastbakery @espressobaytc Jack O'Malley Traverse Repro TC Print & Copy . #airportk9

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