Gabe the Dog: The Vine-Era Bark Behind the “Bork” Meme
Before “bork” was a widely used internet word for a dog’s bark, it was one specific sound: a single, oddly-pitched bark from a rescue dog named Gabe, uploaded to a barely-known YouTube channel in 2013.
Who Gabe was
Gabe was a small, fluffy white dog of mixed American Eskimo and Pomeranian ancestry, born in Canada in January 2011 and adopted from a shelter by Jesse Hamel, a video creator known online as “deathtrips” (formerly “gravycp”). Gabe first appeared in a short clip titled “The New Dog,” posted to Hamel’s YouTube channel on January 8, 2013.
The bark that launched a meme format
Gabe’s bark in that clip had a distinctive, almost musical pitch, and other creators began isolating and remixing it into songs and comedy videos — most notably a widely shared mashup set to Herb Alpert’s “The Midnight Tango,” uploaded later that January. Through 2013 and beyond, “Gabe the Dog” bark remixes became a recurring meme format on YouTube and Vine, used both for comedic music mashups and as a stand-in sound effect for censoring bad language.
His passing
Gabe died on January 19, 2017, from heart complications; his passing was announced on his Facebook page to the community that had followed his bark-remix fame for years. He remains one of the earlier examples of a single short animal clip generating a lasting internet meme format, well before TikTok made that kind of overnight virality routine.
Gabe’s bark-meme legacy sits alongside Kabosu and Balltze in the internet’s meme hall of fame — see the full guide to the internet’s most famous dogs.
Frequently asked questions
What breed was Gabe the Dog?
Gabe was a small mixed-breed dog related to the American Eskimo and Pomeranian breeds, adopted from a shelter in Canada.
What made Gabe the Dog famous?
A 2013 video of his distinctive bark, posted by owner Jesse Hamel, was isolated and remixed by other creators into songs and comedy videos, turning “Gabe the Dog” bark remixes into a lasting internet meme format.
Is Gabe the Dog still alive?
No. Gabe died on January 19, 2017, from heart complications.
