Doge meme dog Kabosu dead at 18 after cancer battle
Atsuko SatoKabosu, the dog behind the “doge” meme and the face of Dogecoin, has died at the age of 18 after struggling with her health.
The Japanese shiba inu, who won the hearts of millions of people across the world, had been suffering from leukemia and liver disease.
Her owner, Atsuko Sato, took to Instagram to announce the news on Friday, 24 May, to Kabosu’s 525,000 followers.
“To all of you who loved Kabosu, on the morning of the 24 May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years,” Atsuko Sato, her owner, wrote on Instagram.
“She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her. Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years.
“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 much love to us.”
Sato, a teacher from Japan, adopted Kabosu in 2008 when she was sent to an animal shelter after her puppy mill shut down.
Kabosu became an internet sensation when a 2010 photo of her with crossed paws and a slight smirk spread on Reddit and Tumblr.
A Reddit user at the time referred to the image as “Doge” – the intentional misspelling of dog a nod to a 2005 episode of Homestar Runner.
The doge meme became popular in 2013, as people use coloured Comic Sans text to overlay the photo, with broken English phrases like “Wow. So scare” and “What r u doing?” surrounding Kabosu.
In 2021 the “Doge” meme sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) for $4m (£3.2m).
Kabosu is also the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which was originally created as a “joke” currency and is the sleeve sponsor of English football team Watford Football Club.