Marià Gabarro Sets Record with 5,025 Dog Figurines, Despite Disliking Dogs

Marià Gabarro, a Spanish collector, has earned a Guinness World Record for assembling the world’s largest collection of dog figurines, totaling an impressive 5,025 pieces. Ironically, Gabarro doesn't actually like real dogs, making his achievement all the more surprising. His collection, built over years, highlights a deep dedication to the art of collecting rather than a love for the animals themselves. This unusual passion has now earned him global recognition for his quirky accomplishment.

On the surface, it’s a quirky headline: a man who disliked real dogs yet amassed the largest collection of dog-themed items in the world, earning a Guinness World Record with 5,025 dog figurines, plush toys, and dog-head walking sticks. But Marià Gabarro’s story isn’t just quirky, it’s touching, unexpected, and ultimately, a testament to passion and legacy.

A Passion Discovered Late in Life

Marià Gabarro, a retired sales manager from Terrassa, a town just outside Barcelona, didn’t begin collecting in childhood. Born and raised in Spain, it wasn’t until he reached his sixties that he stumbled into this unusual hobby. Despite having no fondness for actual dogs, Gabarro became captivated by miniature representations, figurines, cuddly toys, and even walking sticks topped with dog heads. Over the decades, he scoured flea markets, antique shops, and fairs across Spain, gradually building what would become an unparalleled collection.

A Collection of 5,025 Pieces and Counting

Upon his passing at age 94, Gabarro’s family discovered his lifetime of collecting was far more extensive than they’d realized. In honor of his passion and their family’s legacy, they meticulously counted each item stored across two homes and submitted the tally to Guinness World Records. In July 2025, they received confirmation: 5,025 dog-related items, securing the title for the largest canine-object collection in the world.

The collection isn’t limited to plastic figurines. It includes soft toys, whimsical walking sticks, and rare antiques, each a small tribute to a dog Gabarro never owned. Ironically, his family shared that while he adored these inanimate companions, he had no love for the live versions. In fact, the family now allows their West Highland White Terrier to play with some of the soft toys in the collection, a playful reversal of priorities.

Collecting as an Obsession, Not a Pet Replacement

Marià Gabarro’s story challenges our assumptions about collecting. He didn’t gather these pieces out of animal adoration; instead, he found wonder in the form, craftsmanship, and variety of dog-themed items. Whether shaped from ceramic, wood, or resin, each piece held aesthetic or sentimental value to him.

What began in small weekend trips evolved into a full-blown mission. Gabarro became a familiar figure at antique fairs and collectors’ circuits across Catalonia and beyond. He was not driven by fandom, it’s said he never owned a picture of a real dog, but by the joy of discovery and curation.

A Family Tribute That Transcends Gifting

Gabarro’s collection became a landmark after his death, not for its scale alone, but for the story it tells. His children saw this not merely as a hobby but a narrative worth preserving. The Guinness World Record application was as much a tribute to their parents as it was recognition of their father’s eccentric passion.

Today, the collection is celebrated in Terrassa. Relatives, friends, and local collectors came together on a sunny March day to count and catalog each piece in a single session, an act of homage and documentation rolled into one.

Why the Story Resonates

1. Unusual Juxtapositions – The fact that a man who disliked actual dogs could become the custodian of a canine-related collection is endlessly intriguing.
   
2. Late-Life Creativity – Gabarro’s passion took off in his sixties, reminding us that it’s never too late to discover something new.
   
3. Family Legacy – In applying for the Guinness title, his children preserved his eccentric love story and passed it on.
   
4. Human Curiosity Rewarded – In a culture often obsessed with measurable achievements, this is a reminder of personal joy and legacy in the unexpected.
   

What Brands and Collectors Can Learn

Even corporate brands can glean insights from Gabarro’s story:

• Authenticity Drives Connection: His collection wasn’t polished or professionally curated, it was genuine.
  
• Stories Over Scale: It's not the size, but the narrative that lingers. Brands rooted in clear origin stories resonate better.
  
• Surprise Opens Doors: A quirky passion can capture attention in an oversaturated world.
  

Looking Ahead

Though Gabarro passed away in 2024 at 94, his legacy lives on, not as a pet owner, but as a collector whose hobby became legendary. The collection, now immortalized, invites conversation, exhibitions, and curiosity decades beyond his passing.

His daughter Teresa, along with her siblings, continues to manage and preserve the collection, occasionally allowing their real-life terrier to bridge the worlds: living dog meets collectible dogs.

Marià Gabarro’s legacy reminds us: passion isn’t always logical, but it can make world records.

A Snapshot

• Marià Gabarro, a retired sales manager from near Barcelona, amassed 5,025 dog-themed items, including figurines, soft toys, and novelty walking sticks.
  
• Despite not liking real dogs, he turned collecting into a multidecade hobby starting in his sixties.
  
• After his death, his family counted the collection and secured a posthumous Guinness World Record.
  
• His story is a testament to unusual passion, late-life creativity, and how family can honor legacy through small objects with massive meaning.

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