Local News

Sparkle, beloved Somerville pooch and unofficial mayor, passes away

"It is so hard to share this news with all of you who have sent so much love to Sparkle … She is no longer with us."

Sparkle sits outside of her home in Somerville. Jessica Rinaldi / The Boston Globe

By Arianna MacNeill

1 minute to read

Sparkle, the beloved Corgi mix known for her friendliness and as the unofficial mayor of Somerville, has died. She was 11.

Sparkle’s owners announced the sad news via Twitter Wednesday night, after saying that she had been having “a really hard day.”

“It is so hard to share this news with all of you who have sent so much love to Sparkle … She is no longer with us … She is at peace…” the post said. “Thank you for the love.”

Sparkle spent many a day outside in front of her home, accepting pats from friendly passersby despite her jaw cancer diagnosis, according to The Boston Globe.

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There were signs in her yard with her name and even some hand sanitizer due to the pandemic. A recent addition included information about her cancer, asking people not to touch the side of her snout.

While Sparkle has been popular in Somerville, a tweet showing her sitting on her front walk next to her signs last Tuesday went viral, catapulting her to national fame.

After Sparkle’s newfound fame last week, people stood in a line by her home to wait for a chance to pat her, according to the Globe.

“Just to meet her and see her, people are just really, really touched by her,” Melora Rush, one of Sparkle’s owners, told the newspaper. 

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