Meg, a labrador-huntaway cross, had a social media following, and was once a poster girl for the Department of Conservation.
She helped her owner, Andy Cunningham, of Dunedin, return to walking after a serious back injury in 2012 and despite many fearing the worst, she returned after being lost for five weeks after a car crash in 2018.
She also visited many schools to help children learn about overcoming adversity.
The pair met when Meg was 12 weeks old.
She was part of an unwanted litter that was being sold off at the North Dunedin vet clinic 10 and a-half years ago.
The other puppies kept playing when Mr Cunningham visited but Meg came over.
"She wanted to be with us," he said.
But Meg was recently put down after a two-week decline because of liver failure.
Meg was "more than just a dog", he said.
Her return after the 2018 crash was a near miracle which made Mr Cunningham appreciate the time they spent together even more.
Meg lived with some ongoing pain and discomfort after being injured in the crash, yet she still "lived an absolutely amazing life".
She was a great advertisement for the phrase, "it's not the length of your life that counts, it's the width and depth that matters", Mr Cunningham said.
Tributes had been pouring in, as Meg had become "almost public property".
Hundreds of people followed her on Facebook and she had been a postergirl for the Department of Conservation.
When they visited schools, he would always ask if any children were scared of dogs.
Invariably a few would put their hands up, but by the end of the session they would not want Meg to leave.
She was an "incredible creature" who endeared herself to everyone she met.
"I think she did more for her local community than most humans that I know," Mr Cunningham said.
Meg was buried in Mr Cunningham’s garden near a copse of manuka.
