The 12-year-old Shiba Inu was beloved across the internet as his unforgettable meme went viral.
Cheems’ owners confirmed that their pooch had sadly died after a battle with cancer after he had a surgical procedure on Friday, with the dog not waking up after he was put to sleep during surgery.
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The owners issued a statement on Instagram to share the news, along with multiple pictures of their beloved dog, who was also known online as balltze.
They wrote: “Don’t be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world. A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has completed.
(Image: instagram.com/balltze)
“I believe he is running freely in the sky and having a lot of delicious food with his new friends. He will always be inside my heart. I hope he can continue to bring joy to everyone in the online world, that’s my only humble request.”
They added: “All of you have been very generous and helpful, and I’m truly grateful to all of you, your love and support to Ball Ball is so unconditional and I found that is the purest love in the world, having Ball Ball in my life is the best thing ever happened
“The donation and brass pins money I have collected for the medical bills will be now donating to local animal charities. Thank you everyone, thank you, Balltze knows how much he was loved by all of you.”
(Image: instagram.com/balltze)
Messages soon flooded the account as fans shared their support for the owners, but others are remembering Cheems by re-sharing the meme which made him famous.
Some posts saw the original meme amended to appear Cheems was waving goodbye alongside the caption: “Farewell friend”, while others branded him the “king of memes”.
The viral pooch went viral while he was still just a puppy in 2010, and immediately became a recognisable dog across the world.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
