TRAVERSE CITY, MI - It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Piper, Michigan's bird-chasing border collie whose boss attitude and ability to effectively clear an airport runway has made him an international star.

While he's been an in-state celebrity for more than a year while working the runways at Cherry Capital Airport, he became a social media darling via Reddit in late February.

An animated gif of the dog coolly glancing at a rescue chopper stirring up clouds of snow, was "upvoted" by 97 percent of Reddit viewers, hitting the top of the gif section of the website and receiving some 7,300 points.

Then the global fanclub kicked into high gear. In the last week, there have been countless stories and broadcasts featuring this vest-wearing dog, who also rocks some cool specs. Friends from Chicago to Canada drop by his Facebook page just to say hi. His picture even ended up in a Swedish newspaper.

He's been called "the coolest dog in the world." And his badass level? Expert, say fans.

Now he's got his own T-shirts and hoodies for sale, the proceeds from which will help offset the medical bills he's been racking up since he fractured a toe while working in late 2015, leading to a few months in a leg cast.

The T-shirts, which start at $25 and show the visor-wearing pooch raising a paw in greeting - have been a hot item since his surge in fame.

Brian Edwards, Piper's owner and the airport operations supervisor, is amazed at all the attention, and grateful for the kindness his dog has been shown.

"We're in complete shock that people donate their hard-earned money to a border collie in Northern Michigan. It's absolutely humbling," said Edwards, who volunteers his dog's services to the airport.

One of the T-shirts and hoodies now being sold featuring Piper, the airport K-9

While Piper likes meeting his fans, he's happiest when he's working the airfield as wildlife control, keeping it free of snowy owls, geese and other birds that try to congregate there.

Birds can spell big danger for airports. In early 2015, a few months before Piper started on the job, a loon struck an incoming plane 10 miles out and crashed into the cockpit. The pilot, flying at about 3,500 feet, managed to land safety at the Traverse City airport, but the plane was severely damaged.

Edwards began researching dogs as bird control and training Piper for the job about 18 months ago. The bird-chasing is an innate skill for the breed, but Edwards' dog, now 7, needed to learn to work off-leash. And get used to all the loud noises an airport brings -- choppers, plane engines, snowplows and big machines.

They duo started off slow, riding out near the runways in Edwards' truck and letting Piper get acclimated to the sounds. He was a fast learner, and needed little encouragement when it was time to chase the birds.

It got to the point with some birds where Edwards would just cruise by in the truck, with Piper's head sticking out the window - and the birds would take flight. Other times, Piper would whine from his perch, ready to run them off.

The job has been a great ride for the pair, all documented on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

When he's not working or guarding aircraft on site, Piper can be found getting his picture taken with crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Navy and the Blue Angels.

But even when he's posing with friends and visitors, you wonder if he's just waiting for the next flock of birds to try to land on his runway.