Much-loved internet dog Marnie passed away “painlessly and peacefully” at home this week at the age of 18, her owner confirmed in a post to her official Instagram account.
“Her comfort had been notably declining over the past few days with little hope for improvement and she let me know she had had enough,” the statement read. “She enjoyed her chicken until the very end.”
Marnie was a shih-tzu, adopted from a shelter at the age of 11, who lived a pampered life and was followed by close to two million people on Instagram.
Her owner said:
“Thank you for joining me on an unexpected journey with the ultimate love of my life. All I can feel right now is loss but beneath that I have so much gratitude. I’m grateful to the universe for entrusting me with her beautiful soul and providing me with the perfect best friend and companion. I’m grateful I was able to give this magical creature the fun and deeply loving life she wanted and deserved. I’m thankful I was chosen to be the conduit for Marnie to bring joy into the world. And I’m thankful for all the human and dog friends Marnie and I made along the way, and the strangers on the streets and on the internet, who have shown us so much love.”
Marnie inspired many others to adopt older dogs and will leave behind this legacy:
“Most of all, I’m amazed that the sweet little hot mess of a pup that I picked up from a shelter at age 11, who at first didn’t seem like she would be around very long at all, has managed to inspire others to adopt senior dogs. When I hear from people that Marnie has made them adopt their senior dogs it’s truly the most beautiful legacy she and I could hope to leave in this world.”
The post continued:
“The night of her passing I had a dream where I watched her awake from her death like it hadn’t happened at all, and she was running around at a party completely happy and invincible. She approached a descending staircase and I wanted to interject to protect her from falling, but she sailed right down the stairs and landed on her feet and stopped and looked at me and laughed and just kept going. Maybe this was a message from her from heaven, but at minimum I can take solace knowing that for a long stretch of time, prior to her aging body taking its toll, heaven for her was right here on earth.”
Marnie will be buried in a pet cemetery in Los Angeles. It is hoped that there will be a public memorial for her many fans, but plans for this have been put on hold due to the current coronavirus outbreak.
