Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Or so goes the saying anyway.
Then, could dogs be man’s best friend?
In any case, your male friends would probably have heard of the dog behind the doge memes flooding the internet.
The dog is none other than Balltze (or you may know it as Ball Ball).
Unfortunately, Balltze has passed away after battling some illnesses.
While Balltze may be gone, we are sure that his doge memes will live on.
Here is more about the beloved dog’s passing.
Doge Meme Dog Balltze Passes Away
It is a sad day when a pet owner outlives their pet. This, unfortunately, is something that Balltze’s owners have to deal with.
Earlier this week, Balltze’s official Instagram account broke the news of the beloved dog’s death to all its followers.
The dog was about 12 years old.
According to the post made by Balltze’s owner, Ball Ball “fell asleep” on 18 August. Unfortunately, that slumber turned permanent as the dog never woke up.
Balltze had just received its “last thoracentesis surgery” and was meant to undergo further chemotherapy or other treatment after his surgery.
Those following Balltze would know that he was fighting cancer for almost six months and was not in the pink of health.
Well, in a way, the death could be a relief for the dog since fighting cancer must have been painful for it.
Apart from announcing the dog’s death, the post also asked Balltze’s followers not to be sad and to “remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world”.
What joy, you may ask.
For those unaware, Balltze was the inspiration behind several doge memes which many people loved to use.
That’s the joy he brought to the world.
These doge memes featured the Shiba inu (a species of dog) in various forms.
At the most basic level, Balltze’s sheepish expression was used by many on the internet. This meme was so popular that Balltze was soon called Cheems by the online community.
Here is an image of Cheems, which you probably have seen at some point in time:
As with everything on the internet, memes evolve over time.
Another version of Balltze’s likeness featured in the Swole Doge meme, where a large muscular human-like body is paired with the face of a shiba inu.
This is what the Swole Doge meme looks like:
Whether you are a meme lover or not, you can’t deny the impact one small dog had on the online community.
Rest in peace, Balltz.