Unless you have remained disconnected from the internet during the
In the last decade, you’ve probably seen the “doge” meme at least once. We are talking about the Shiba Inu dog that rose to fame in 2010 after Atsuko Sato published a photo of the pet with a quite particular expression. Kabosu, which is the name of our four-legged protagonist, has died after suffering from an illness.
The farewell of the “happiest animal in the world”. This Friday, the Instagram account of the dog in the meme communicated the least expected news for many. “Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years,” said a post signed by Sato, who defined her pet as “the happiest animal in the world”, so she had become “the happiest owner in the world”.
Sato says in the publication that is accompanied by a very happy photo of Kabosu that the dog died peacefully and without suffering, as if she fell asleep while feeling the warmth of his hands. He also made an emotional blog post where he dedicated a few words to his pet and invited all those interested to attend a farewell meeting on Sunday, May 26 in the city of Narita, Japan.
Kabosu was very sick. The dog whose image conquered the internet and became part of the conversations of millions of people, fell ill in 2022. According to a series of publications by SatoKabosu was diagnosed with leukemia and cholangiohepatitis. As a result of this, on Christmas Eve she voluntarily stopped eating and drinking, although she regained her appetite as the illness progressed.
Kabosu’s deteriorating health forced Sato to double his care for his pet. Although visibly happy, the meme dog was aging and losing agility. In recent times, her human family had to carry her from place to place in a baby stroller, mainly so she could enjoy the sunny days in the city, as well as interact with other dogs.
A dog for adoption. The dog was born in a Shiba Inu breeder, but the establishment closed and she was transferred to an animal shelter. In 2008, early childhood education teacher Atsuko Sato decided to adopt her and name her Kabosu. Sato wanted to document her experience through her blog, but she never imagined that one of the published images It would end up becoming one of the best-known memes.
In 2010, Sato published a series of photos of Kabosu. Among them was the meme we know today. The dog, with a round head, a unique pose and a funny look, began to go around the world. Some early versions of the meme contained comics sans text with grammatically incorrect words, a concept that was adopted, e.g. by brands like Oreo.
Kabosu stopped being an unknown dog to become an internet star. Suddenly, variants like Chad Doge emerged, showing Kabosu’s face on an extremely muscular body. Sometimes also in the company of other memes, as is the case of Chad Doge vs. Cheems. There are many variants, but among them we find the Doge Breadhis face in a bread.
Kabosu’s rise to the crypto world. Kabosu’s image was used in 2013 within the logo of the meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin. What started as a joke on the part of its creators became a million-dollar business for some (and a ruin for others). To this day, Kabosu remains part of the image of Dogecoin, a currency mentioned repeatedly by Elon Musk. Even for a short time Twitter (now X) adopted Doge’s image as its logo.
Images | Atsuko Sato | Kanchanara
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