Kabosu, the dog famously associated with the 'doge' meme, has died at the age of 18, as announced by her owner. The Japanese shiba inu had been battling leukemia and liver disease.
In a heartfelt message shared on Instagram and in a blog post, Atsuko Sato, Kabosu's owner, expressed gratitude to all who cherished Kabosu. "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."
"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."
In 2008, Sato, a teacher in Japan, adopted Kabosu from an animal shelter after her puppy mill shut down. Kabosu rose to fame in 2010 when a photo of her, seemingly smirking, was posted on Sato's personal blog. This image quickly gained traction online, with people referring to Kabosu as "Doge," intentionally misspelling the word "dog." The meme featured text in Comic Sans font, representing a deliberately broken English internal monologue.
Kabosu's popularity led to the creation of Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that Elon Musk has frequently tweeted about, often coinciding with temporary increases in its value. Additionally, an NFT (non-fungible token) featuring Kabosu was sold for $4 million.
In December 2022, Sato disclosed that Kabosu was battling severe illnesses, including cancer and acute liver disease. Describing her condition as "very dangerous," Kabosu was diagnosed with chronic lymphoma leukemia and acute cholangiohepatitis, marked by liver inflammation.
