The popular Instagram star Marnie the Dog, a shih tzu known for her dangling tongue and titled head, has died at the age of 18, according to her owner.
Owner Shirley Braha announced Saturday in an Instagram post that Marnie died “painlessly and peacefully” at home Thursday.
“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. She enjoyed her chicken until the very end,” Braha wrote.
Marnie was adopted from a shelter at the age of 11. Braha says she is “grateful to the universe for entrusting me with her beautiful soul.”
She thanked all the human and dog fans the two met and expressed appreciation for the fact that Marnie’s story encouraged others to adopt senior dogs.
The shih tzu had 1.8 million followers on Instagram. Her rise to fame came in 2014, and she was known for taking pictures with celebrities, including Miley Cyrus, James Franco and fellow animal influencer Lil Bub, a cat whose tongue stuck out of her mouth.
“Marnie knew that she was famous, and she absolutely loved it,” Braha told the New York Times. “She loved it when crowds would form around her. She would do little dances. She would pose… She was a pro.”
Braha wrote on Instagram that Marnie will be buried in a pet cemetery in Los Angeles. She also hopes to have a public memorial for the dog.
Marnie is survived by her owner and her dog sister, 10-year-old Gilda, a Pomeranian mix who was adopted by Braha a month ago, according to the Times.
