China’s first abandoned dog, Deng Deng, who was famously sold at judicial auction, recently died after spending five joyous years in his new home. He is fondly remembered on social media.

The owner of the 13-year-old Shiba Inu, identified as Shu, announced Deng Deng’s death on April 7 via a heartfelt social media post.

“The dog auctioned for 160,000 yuan (US$23,000) has peacefully returned to the doggy planet, surrounded by his loving family. I hope everyone remembers him with thoughts of ‘love,’” Shu expressed.

Many took to social media to bid farewell to Deng Deng, reminiscing about his extraordinary life as China’s first abandoned dog who underwent a judicial auction.

In 2018, a Beijing court decided to auction him off to settle a debt owed by his previous owner to a pet school. This man, identified only by the surname Xiao, had abandoned Deng Deng at the school in 2014 when he was just one year old, having only paid for one year’s fees before vanishing.