After 14 years of internet stardom, the beloved dog behind the 2010 “doge” meme, Kabosu, passed at age 18 from a long fight with leukemia and liver disease.
Kabosu’s owner, Atsuko Sato, released a statement on Friday on her Instagram announcing the death of the Shiba Inu.
“She went very peacefully without suffering,” Sato said in her post. “I am certain that Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world.”
Kabosu began her battle with leukemia and liver disease in late 2022 after being adopted by Sato in 2008.
The doge meme originated from an image posted to Sato’s blog, which eventually spread to Reddit, an online social network. The photo soon became an internet sensation, making national headlines and even inspiring merchandise, such as sweatshirts and tapestries.
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The memes made out of the doge image featured colorful comic sans text depicting Kabosu’s thoughts.
In 2013, Kabosu’s impact still echoed throughout the internet, as software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer launched “Dogecoin,” a cryptocurrency, or alternative digital payment method.
The partners initially formed Dogecoin as a satirical cryptocurrency, though the concept was quickly popularized on Reddit forums and began being used as a tipping method. The currency quickly gained notoriety, gaining over one million visitors to the website in only one month, according to the Dogecoin site.
“Both Billy and Jackson thought that cryptocurrency was being taken far too seriously and wasn’t much fun,” the Dogecoin website explained.
Today, Dogecoin has a market capitalization of $23.65 billion according to crypto.com — which is the value of a traded company on the stock market — keeping Kabosu in the public eye.
Lovers of the doge meme have taken to social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Reddit to voice their condolences and mourn the death of the treasured dog. This has included reposting fan-favorite variations of the meme and even crafting new memes commemorating Kabosu’s legacy. This love has been received and met with gratitude from Kabosu’s owner.
Sato said in her Instagram statement, “I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has sent much love to us.”
