Seattle, WA – A Labrador retriever mix named Eclipse, who rose to fame for her ability to take the city bus to the dog park all by herself, has passed away. The beloved pooch had over 123,000 Facebook fans, and on Friday, they learned that she had died in her sleep that morning.
Her owner, Jeff Young, had recently said that Eclipse had “cancerous tumors.”
King County Metro, which heads up Seattle’s public transportation, Tweeted:
Eclipse was a super sweet, world-famous, bus riding dog and true Seattle icon. You brought joy and happiness to everyone and showed us all that good dogs belong on the bus.
So how did this smart pup learn how to use the bus on her own? Eclipse and her human always took the same city bus to the dog park, but one day he was running late and she got impatient. According to Young, she ran off, boarded the bus that they had always used, and successfully got off at the dog park.
Fortunately, Young knew precisely where she had gone.
Eclipse mastered the bus system and became a regular, solo passenger. Area residents fell in love with her sweet personality, and King County let her have her very own bus pass.
The Seattle days will be a bit drearier now that Eclipse is gone. Rest in peace sweet girl.