Eclipse, the Seattle dog famous for riding the municipal bus, died on Friday. The announcement was made on her own Facebook page.
According to reports, she was ten years old when she died. She had malignant tumors.
Eclipse drew notoriety in 2015 when she began taking the bus by herself. Her owner, Jeff Young, says the two of them would frequently ride the bus to their neighborhood dog park, Belltown Dog Park. When the bus arrived one day, he was still smoking a cigarette, so she boarded without him.
Within a few weeks, the black lab-bullmastiff mix was a regular commuting companion in her characteristic red harness. Her other riders said that bus drivers recognized her and she knew her stop by gazing out the window.
While people marveled by Eclipse’s skill, Young spoke about it with what could be interpreted as casualness or confidence in his dog.
“We get separated. She gets on the bus without me, and I catch up with her at the dog park. 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.”
The regional transit operator, King County Metro, welcomed its legendary passenger, even releasing a music video in 2015.
On its Twitter page, King County Metro paid homage to the dog, uploading a photograph of her and the remark, “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.”