Kabosu, the dog famous for the “doge” meme and the face of Dogecoin, passed away at the age of 18 after battling health issues. The Japanese shiba inu had been struggling with leukemia and liver disease, but her owner, Atsuko Sato, announced the news on Instagram to Kabosu’s 525,000 followers.
“To all of you who loved Kabosu, on the morning of the 24th of May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years,” Atsuko Sato wrote.
“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 rose to internet fame in 2010 when a photo of her with crossed paws and a slight smirk spread on Reddit and Tumblr. The photo was dubbed “Doge,” intentionally misspelling “dog” as a nod to a 2005 episode of Homestar Runner.
The doge meme became popular in 2013, with people overlaying the photo with colored Comic Sans text featuring broken English phrases like “Wow. So scare” and “What r u doing?” The meme’s popularity led to an NFT sale of the original “Doge” meme for $4 million in 2021.
Kabosu also became the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, originally created as a “joke” currency. Dogecoin is the sleeve sponsor of English football team Watford Football Club.
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