Eclipse the Dog Who Rode the Bus to the Park Every Day by Herself Has Passed Away

The most famous dog in Seattle has sadly passed away. Eclipse, a 10-year-old Mastiff and black lab mix, was known for boarding the bus and taking herself to the dog park in the waterfront neighborhood of Belltown. Her human, Jeff Young, shared the news on the Facebook account he runs on her behalf. He said that Eclipse died in her sleep, and in previous posts, he indicated that the pup had been diagnosed with cancerous tumors.

Eclipse began taking the bus alone in late 2014/early 2015. It wasn’t planned; according to Young, they would regularly ride to the Belltown dog park together. One day, however, he was still smoking a cigarette when the bus arrived. Eclipse wasn’t about to wait for another bus to come, so she boarded without him.

The dog quickly gained a great reputation among riders and bus drivers alike. Wearing her red harness, she would sit at the window and knew when her stop was coming by the surroundings. Her fans included King County Metro, the public transit authority for Seattle and the surrounding areas. It made a music video featuring Eclipse and paid tribute to the pup on social media after hearing the news of her passing.

“Eclipse was a super sweet, world-famous, bus riding dog and true Seattle icon,” it wrote on Twitter. “You brought joy and happiness to everyone and showed us all that good dogs belong on the bus.”

Eclipse, a Mastiff and black lab mix famous for riding the Seattle bus, sadly passed away at the age of 10.

Her human, Jeff Young, shared the news on Facebook.

Eclipse began taking the bus alone in 2015.

It wasn’t planned; according to Young, they would regularly ride to the Belltown Dog Park together.

One day, however, he was still smoking a cigarette when the bus arrived. Eclipse wasn’t about to wait for another round, so she boarded without him.

The dog quickly gained a great reputation among riders and bus drivers alike.

Wearing her red harness, she would sit at the window and knew when her stop was coming up by the surroundings.

Her fans included King County Metro, the public transit authority for Seattle and the surrounding areas. It made a music video featuring Eclipse…

…and paid tribute to the pup on social media after hearing the news of her passing.

Eclipse Seattle's Bus Riding Dog: Facebook
h/t: [NPR]

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
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