I don’t know how Shiba Inus became the dog most associated with ironic memes, but I’m not complaining. The lore of doge has become an important and inescapable part of internet culture, beloved because of this breed’s ability to give some truly impressive side eye. 

While the Shiba known IRL as Kabosu is probably the original and most famous of the doges, so powerful is their influence that any spinoffs are just as iconic. Cheems is front of the queue when it comes to this most cherished genre of meme. 

His mysterious expression (is it gormless, or is it cunning?) has graced thousands of images in the past few years. Sadly Cheems, whose real name was Balltze, passed away due to surgery complications on Friday. It leaves me with no choice but to present to you a handful of the hilarious images that use his likeness. He’s got to be a celebrity at the Rainbow Bridge.