Eclipse, the dog famous for riding the bus to the park alone, dies
Eclipse, the US dog who became famous for riding the bus to the park alone, has died.
The 10-year-old black Labrador cross passed away in her sleep on Saturday morning, her owner Jeff Young confirmed in a post to the pup's Facebook page.
The post was swamped with close to 5000 messages of condolence, more than 1000 shares and 22,000 emojis of care and sadness.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about how to help your itchy dog
Eclipse the dog. Facebook
"Thank you all for the heart felt messages about Eclipse Seattle's Bus Riding Dog she was loved my so many... RIP in Doggie Heaven you'll never be forgotten sweet girl, Young said in a follow up post.
Eclipse gained both local international fame in 2015 when one day she leapt onto the D-Line bus in Seattle without him.
Young tracked her down at their regular park in Belltown, with the dog seemingly able to remember her exact stop from past trips.
In the past seven years, Eclipse built a cult following for her regular travels. Watch in the video above.
READ MORE: Kate helped an ‘unlucky’ rescue dog find his forever home
Eclipse the dog became famous in 2015 for riding the local Seattle bus alone to the park. Facebook
She is able to wait for the bus at both stops and knows when to disembark, before Young meets up with her to play.
"We get separated. She gets on the bus without me, and I catch up with her at the dog park," he told KOMO News in 2015.
"It's not hard to get on. She gets on in front of her house and she gets off at the dog park, three or four stops later."
That same year King County Metro, the bus-agency for the area, created a music video for its iconic passenger. She was given a travel card to wear on her collar.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about fostering a dog
The bus company released a sweet statement following Eclipse's passing.
"Eclipse was a super sweet, world-famous, bus riding dog and true Seattle icon," the statement on Twitter read.
"You brought joy and happiness to everyone and showed us all that good dogs belong on the bus."
