A Shiba Inu who became famous as the ‘MenswearDog’ has died at the age of 15. Bodhi, who became a viral sensation in 2013, passed away leaving fans in tears.
Yena Kim, Bodhi’s dog mom, posted a tribute for the viral NYC dog on Instagram. “I lost my soul dog,” Kim wrote.
“Nothing and no one can prepare you for this moment: I was in denial for the first few days- I didn’t want to see his bed, now empty. Each of his toys held beautiful but excruciating memories of the oblivious, light-hearted joy that now feels so distant,” the post added.
Kim described Bodhi as “the fork in the road in my life that pivoted everything about who I was, where I was, who I met and the career I chose.” She added that the fashion dog “forged an irreplaceable bond with everyone around him.”
“You see, that was his real superpower. He was a conduit, creating magic links of serendipity to bring the people around him together, to gift connections and form relationships- giving us meaning, and purpose,” Kim wrote.
Kim added, “He was the light that brightened every room, the absolute apple of my eye, ever since the very first time I laid eyes on him. We were two spirits fused, feeling each other’s joy and pain. He watched me grow up as I watched him grow old but nothing changed about the way we were. He would always find me. Even as he experienced cognitive decline, he would find me, his little body leaning and pressing against my leg. He was my place of comfort, my ultimate peace.”
{{/usCountry}}Kim added, “He was the light that brightened every room, the absolute apple of my eye, ever since the very first time I laid eyes on him. We were two spirits fused, feeling each other’s joy and pain. He watched me grow up as I watched him grow old but nothing changed about the way we were. He would always find me. Even as he experienced cognitive decline, he would find me, his little body leaning and pressing against my leg. He was my place of comfort, my ultimate peace.”
{{/usCountry}}Kim described toggling between “crying and smiling” while thinking about Bodhi. “He would want me to remember him with that million-dollar shiny smile, in a three-piece suit, charming the hell out of everyone in sight. I know he would want me to dust off my knees, get up and celebrate his life rather than bawl over him,” she wrote.
Kim concluded the post by saying, “The news of one Shiba Inu that caused millions of people to smile and one, very lucky woman to be his forever soulmate. Bodhi, I love you forever.”
Who was Bodhi the Shiba Inu?
Bodhi rose to prominence after Kim andher husband, David Fung, dressed him up in Ralph Lauren menswear and posted the result on Tumblr. Bodhi eventually went on to gain 375,000 followers on Instagram with the username @mensweardog. He even modelled in campaigns for Coach and Salvatore Ferragamo, and released a capsule collection with Nike.
Kim adopted Bodhi from a New York City pet store in 2009. At the time, Kim was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She named the Shiba Inu after Patrick Swayze’s character in the 1991 movie Point Break.
Kim told The New York Times that Bodhi battledkidney illness and spinal issues in the last two years of his life. He died in his owner’s arms in Brooklyn.