Remembering Marnie: An 18-Year-Old Dog With A Beautiful Legacy

Internet superstar, best friend, and all-around good girl–Marnie the Dog has passed away. The famous Shih Tzu’s mom, Shirley Braha, announced the devastating loss to Marnie’s Instagram followers on Saturday. The message says that after 18 years of life, Marnie died “painlessly and peacefully” at home. The dog world has lost a beautiful soul, but Marnie’s legacy involving senior dog adoption will live on.


Instagram

A Senior Dog Finds Her Home

If you’re not familiar with Marnie, Braha adopted her in 2012. She was an 11-year-old rescue dog found wandering the streets all alone. Even after a bath, she didn’t have a high chance of  being adopted.
Despite her matted fur and 14 rotten teeth, Braha fell in love. She saw a picture of the senior pup with her trademark tongue lolling out of her mouth, and she knew she found her new best friend.
Since that first day together, Marnie and Braha have been inseparable. Braha used to take the personable senior dog to work and noticed she lit up around people. Marnie wanted to love and be loved, and those goals ended up inspiring nearly two million people.


Instagram

When The World Fell In Love

When the division of MTV that Braha worked for in New York closed their doors, the dog mom started spending more time photographing her endearing senior pup. She wasn’t planning on turning Marnie into one of the most famous dogs in the world, but that’s exactly what happened.
Maybe it was Marnie’s joyful personality or her abnormally long tongue, but something about her caught the world’s attention. Soon enough, complete strangers started following Marnie on social media. Her popularity skyrocketed, and Braha took that opportunity to advocate for senior dog adoption.


Instagram

An Advocate For Senior Dog Adoption

Since Marnie first made it big, she has been the poster pup for senior dog adoption. She was proof that it doesn’t matter how old a rescue dog is when they find themselves alone in a shelter. Every dog deserves a good home, and every dog brings something beautiful to the world.
Braha has frequently said on her social media accounts that people have come up to her saying that Marnie’s story inspired them to adopt their own senior dogs. With 1.8 million fans, Marnie’s message spread near and far. Her influence has saved countless lives and helped make the world a little better for senior rescue dogs.

An Inspiring Legacy

In recent weeks, Braha did not hide the fact that her beloved dog’s health was going downhill. She posted updates on Marnie’s social media accounts and encouraged fans to prepare for inevitable heartbreak.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3I0j-Zg8dy/
Instagram
She posted on February 29 saying,

“I’ve been preparing myself emotionally and logistically, and I know some of you love Marnie like she is your own, so let’s prepare for that collectively. “

According to her social posts, Marnie remained in good spirits during her final days.  She passed away knowing she was deeply loved, and her memory will continue to inspire, advocate, and support senior dog adoption.
All images via Instagram/Marnie the Dog
Do you love senior dogs? Read this senior dog’s adoption story next.

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