Hampstead Heath has had more than its fair share of famous faces in the past but there’s a new hound in town. His name is Bosco and he has a big stick.

Bosco, four, has racked up more than 13 million likes and almost 500,000 followers on video sharing app TikTok.

The Ham&High caught up with Bosco and owner Luccia Rodriguez, 23, to talk about fame, good fortune, and how little Bosco has risen to international stardom.

Bosco--the-dog-with-a-big-stick

“I got Bosco when I was 19, but it wasn’t until he was two that I decided to post a video on Instagram," said Luccia.

“He just managed to become more and more viral until I filmed a video on Parkland Walk. By random chance, we got around 60,000 new Instagram followers in a single day.”

That video was Bosco’s big break.

Will Smith (yes, that one) dubbed over the video in September 2019, and before long, little Bosco, who lives in Crouch End, was drawing "likes" and attention from names such as Jennifer Aniston and Elon Musk.

On TikTok, a video of Bosco with a big stick on the Heath gained 24 million views (and counting) in February this year, while other posts regularly gain tens of thousands of fans.

Bosco wasn’t trained to pick up big sticks, he just has a big personality, says Luccia.

“He’s the biggest show off,” Luccia said. “He does it because he loves it, and I think he knows other people like it when they applaud him.

“I always thought it was funny, and for me, he became a sort-of TV or book character. Actually, writing a children’s book is something I really want to do next.

“Maybe he could be a voice for the environment and nature, too. We love animal activism and he loves being in nature, so I think that would be a good fit.

“I used to be quite anti-social media because the human side is not always good for self-esteem, but the dog version is just so wholesome.”

Bosco’s adventures are on Instagram and TikTok: @boscoandhisbigstick.

Ham & High: Bosco, ready to go find stickBosco, ready to go find stick (Image: @boscoandhisbigstick)