Kabosu dog behind Dogecoin and Shiba Inu died on Friday

“She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her,” Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog, thanking the fans of her dog called Kabosu — the face of the “Doge” meme.

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The dog owner also informed us about a farewell party for Kabo-chan on Sunday, May 26th. The party will be held in Japan’s Nara City from 1 to 4 p.m. According to media reports, Kabosu was diagnosed with cholangiohepatitis and chronic lymphoma leukaemia in 2022. 

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Who is Kabosu?

Kabosu was a Shiba Inu dog who rose to fame with a viral photograph which led to the origin of Doge meme. Not only this, the viral photo also sent ripples in the cryptocurrency market as it led to the formation of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and FLOKI. Atsuko Sato adopted Kabosu in 2008 when she was sent to an animal shelter after her puppy mill shut down. 

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Kabosu’s journey to become an internet sensation began in 2010 when her photo with crossed paws and a slight smirk went viral on Reddit and Tumblr. A Reddit user referred to the viral image as “Doge”, which is an intentional misspelling of dog.

While dealing with a terminal illness, Kabosu died peacefully and ‘quietly’ in her sleep in the lap of her owner Atsuko Sato. The night before Kabosu died, she ate “her rice and drank plenty of water, as usual,” owner Sato wrote in her blog. Satao defined her pet as “happiest dog in the world” show presence made her the “happiest person to have her”.

The viral picture of Doge meme also became an NFT digital artwork and was sold for $4 million. The image also became an inspiration for Dogecoin, which began as a joke by two software engineers and is now stands as the eighth-most valuable cryptocurrency with a market capitalisation of $23 billion.

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Published: 24 May 2024, 01:22 PM IST