Kabosu, Shiba Inu who inspired ‘Doge’ meme, dies at 18: Owner

The internet-famous dog behind the iconic “Doge” meme has died, according to an announcement shared Friday on the canine’s official Instagram account, run by her owner Atsuko Sato.

“To all of you who loved Kabosu, On the morning of the 24th of May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge,” the statement, shared in Japanese and English, read. “Thank you all so much for your support over the years.”

Kabosu, a Shiba Inu, went viral in 2013 after a photo of the light golden brown dog and their inscrutable facial expression was shared on Sato’s blog. Internet users quickly dubbed Kabosu as “Doge” and photos of Kabosu would get shared along with short phrases, often in broken English and reaction words, like “wow,” meant to illustrate what a dog’s internal monologue would hypothetically say.

Kabosu even inspired the launch of the cryptocurrency DogeCoin in December 2013.

According to Sato, Kabosu, whom she also referred to as Kabo-chan, was 18 years old and Sato cared for her for nearly 16 years. They lived in Chiba prefecture, southeast of Tokyo, in Japan.

“She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her,” Sato wrote. “Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years. I am certain that 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 added.