R.I.P. Sausage, the ‘Riot Dog’ of Athens

Famous for siding with protesters during the 2011 riots in Athens, the stray dog that almost won TIME’s Animal of the Year has gone to doggy heaven.

Sausage, the ginger mongrel who became famous for appearing at anti-austerity protests and barking at riot police at the height of Greece’s debt crisis, has died of a heart attack, local officials confirming the sad news on Oct 9.