A Shih Tzu named Marnie, who became popular on social media for her tilted head and dangling tongue, died last Thursday, March 5. She was 18 years old.
Her owner, Shirley Braha, marked her passing with a photo of the quirky-looking dog on her Instagram yesterday, March 8.
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“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,” Braha said. “She enjoyed her chicken until the very end.”
Braha then thanked Marnie’s over 1.8 million followers for joining her on “an unexpected journey with the ultimate love of [her] life.” Despite the loss, she also expressed her gratefulness for the “human and dog friends” she and Marnie had made.
“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,” Braha explained.
Braha adopted Marnie at 11 years old from a shelter in Connecticut, United States, the dog’s Facebook page stated. As for her quirky look, Marnie’s tongue tends to stick out due to it being naturally long, while her tilting head is likely “the residual effect of a brief illness she experienced called Vestibular Syndrome.”
“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,” Braha added in the Instagram post.
On the night of her passing, Braha recalled that she had a dream of Marnie descending a staircase.
“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 at a pet cemetery in Los Angeles. Braha did not mention a specific date but hopes to have “a public memorial gathering whenever safe.” JB
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