By Corey Bennett
The Japanese Shiba Inu, Kabosu, Died at the age of 18 on Friday, May 24th. She had been suffering from liver disease and leukemia.
“She went very peacefully without suffering as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her.” Atsuko Sato, her owner, said on Instagram.
“I am certain Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. That makes me the happiest owner in the world.”
“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has sent us so much love.”
Ms. Sato, a teacher in Japan, adopted Kabosu in 2008 after she was sent to an animal shelter. Kabosu became an internet sensation when a 2010 photo of her with crossed paws and a smirk spread across Reddit and Tumblr. This is where a Reddit user referred to the photo of Kabosu as “Doge,” a purposeful misspelling of “dog” from an episode of Homestar Runner.
The “Doge” meme became increasingly popular in 2013 when colored comic sans text overlaid the photo. The text was most commonly broken English phrases like “What r u doing?” and “Wow. So scare” surrounding Kabosu.
On top of her popularity in 2013, in 2021, the “Doge” meme was sold as a non-fungible token (or NFT) for 4 million dollars. Kabuso became the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which had actually been originally created as a joke.
Sato said in another Instagram post that she is planning on holding a “farewell gathering” on Sunday.
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