Pippin, the face of WeRateDogs, has died

Pippin, The Dog Who Became The Face Of The WeRateDogs Account, Has Died
(Picture: Twitter/WeRateDogs)

You may not know Pippin’s name, but you’ll remember his face.

That’s because for the last three years, its been this dog’s face accompanying those hugely-shared ratings of dogs all over Twitter.

Pippin is not the creator of WeRateDogs because, well, he’s a dog. The creator is Matt Nelson.

But since the account’s inception, Pippin’s face has been the Twitter account’s profile picture, making him the face of the dog reviewing account with more than 7 million followers.

Now, sadly, he has passed away.

The WeRateDogs account shared the news with photos of Pippin as a puppy and on his birthday, writing: ‘This is Pippin, but you know him better as my profile picture.

‘He was the catalyst for the kindest online community ever and his intense expression will never be matched. Pippin passed away this week due to complications of old age, but he’ll live on with every post. 15/10.’

This is Pippin, but you know him better as my profile picture. He was the catalyst for the kindest online community ever and his intense expression will never be matched. Pippin passed away this week due to complications of old age, but he’ll live on with every post. 15/10 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZEPWXfPOY4

— WeRateDogs™ (@dog_rates)

If you’re not familiar with the rating scale for dogs, it’s worth noting that 15/10 is an honour given only to the very best pups.

Matt Nelson has never given a rating higher than 15, and previous recipients of the high score include Smiley the bling therapy dog who passed away last year, Piper the airport K9, a therapy dog who visited survivors of shootings, a dog who saved his owner from a rattlesnake, and Justice, who provides support to survivors of sexual assault.

Matt told BuzzFeed that he found Pippin’s headshot by typing ‘funny dog’ into Google images then buying the rights to the photo, which was in an iStock collection.

When the WeRateDogs account grew in popularity, Pippin’s owners got in touch and made friends.

This week Pippin’s owners let Matt know that their dog had passed away.

He’ll live on forever on the internet and in our hearts.

Somewhere good, Pippin is standing in a doorway sniffing the air. ❤️ https://t.co/uJ5HiV4LNl

— William Smith (@meck)