New Taipei’s Ansi Junior High School announced the death last weekend of its campus dog Kele (??), a stray shiba inu who became a favorite of countless students and staff after turning up in a classroom on a cold day more than a decade ago.

Principal Chih Hsu-tai (???) told CNA that the aging Kele’s death from an illness on Saturday had “brought a lot of sadness” to everyone with a connection to the Sanxia District school.

Even during her recent illness, “Kele set an example of how to face death and to love and value the people close to you,” Chih said, adding that students were planning to hold a memorial event for her once school was back in session.

According to the school, Kele was found curled up in a classroom one day during a cold snap in March, 2011, and settled into her role as a campus dog after administrators failed to find her an adoptive home.

Over the course of her 11-plus years at the school, Kele was recognized as the “No. 1 campus dog in the nation” by the Executive Yuan and became the subject of a Facebook fan page with over 23,000 followers, it said.

Teacher Chiang Ta-ju (???), who helped care for Kele, said one of her favorite memories of the campus dog was the time she bravely chased away three water buffalo that had wandered onto school grounds.

On a more regular basis, Kele provided emotional comfort to students and gave them something to talk about with their parents, while also teaching them important life lessons, including that people “aren’t so high and mighty,” Chiang said.

Chiang said that Kele had passed away peacefully on Saturday night, and had been in declining health since she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in April.

After her passing, Kele was cremated on Monday and given a tree burial at a pet cemetery, complete with a Buddhist funeral ceremony and a potted basil plant to adorn her grave, Chiang said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel