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Eclipse, a Seattle dog who became famous worldwide for riding the bus alone, died on Friday, October 14, 2022, at the age of ten.
Jeff Young, Eclipse's owner, announced her death on Facebook.
Eclipse has used the RapidRide D line to get to and from her house since 2015. The area's transit service, King County Metro, shared a heartwarming tweet embracing the bullmastiff and calling her a "true Seattle icon."
Who was the famous Lab - Bullmastiff, Eclipse?
Eclipse first gained attention in 2015, when she began riding the bus alone. Young, her owner, stated that the pair would frequently visit the local Belltown Dog Park. It all began when the Labrador-Bullmastiff boarded the bus without Young, who was once smoking when the bus arrived.
Since then, she's been riding the bus alone, wearing her signature red harness and identifying her stop by looking out the window. Passengers and bus drivers knew who she was and enjoyed her company.
While many praised her brilliance, Jeff Young dismissed Eclipse's actions as routine. He told Seattle's KOMO News that whenever the two get separated, the lab-bullmastiff boards the bus, and Young catches up with her at the dog park. He continued:
"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."
King County Metro even made a music video in 2015 starring the Black Hound. Aside from those who had met her, the labrador-bullmastiff gained a large number of followers and friends through the internet.
Netizens pay tribute to their beloved hound passenger
The beloved dog died peacefully in her sleep on Friday, October 14, 2022. She was diagnosed with cancerous tumors only 5 days before her death. Following the death of the lovable labrador-bullmastiff, love and condolences came pouring in on Twitter and Facebook.
Many shared how they loved seeing images of her riding the bus, and exclaimed at how smart she had to be to commute alone.
Twitter users called her a "good dog indeed." Seattle Dogs, a non-profit street outreach program that operates in The Emerald City, tweeted a clip of a school bus riding in the clouds and captioned it with their condolences. They even left a message for Eclipse herself, saying they are aware that Heaven, too, has a bus to the dog park.
One user even suggested renaming the D-line bus that stops at the park after the beloved dog, while others believe a statue or street named after her would be a fitting tribute.
Jeff Young, her owner, has asked for assistance with the cost of her cremation through his social media accounts, sharing his CashApp ID, $Jeffdee17. He added that any money left over will be used to install poop bag dispensers in the area "for good dogs to have better owners."
