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Viral meme dog Kabosu has died

Home> News> Animals

Published 09:50 24 May 2024 GMT+1

Viral meme dog Kabosu has died

Kabosu the shiba inu brought joy to millions of people as the face of the iconic doge meme

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

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Kabosu, the dog behind the iconic 'doge' meme, has died at the old age of 18.

And what a good dog she was too.

Even the most infrequent of internet users will no doubt be familiar with the face of Kabosu - even if they didn't know her real name.

Fans have been paying tribute to Kabosu following her death. (X/@Harafcy)
Fans have been paying tribute to Kabosu following her death. (X/@Harafcy)

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The Japanese shiba inu went viral more than a decade ago thanks to a now-iconic image of her giving a bit of side-eye, which took the internet by storm.

The dog got turned into a meme known as 'doge', accompanied by nonsensical captions that could be used to describe pretty much any situation.

Bad weather? 'wow very rain', doge would say.

Stuck in traffic? A simple 'much car' would do the trick.

Kabosu's image has been edited to show her wearing sunglasses, plastered on to loaves of bread, and even become a logo for the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which was originally created as a joke.

Kabosu's owner shared news of her death online. (Instagram/@kabosumama)
Kabosu's owner shared news of her death online. (Instagram/@kabosumama)

After bringing so much joy to the world, Kabosu's health sadly began to decline as she was diagnosed with leukaemia and liver disease.

Her owner, Atsuko Sato, announced the news of her death on Instagram today (24 May).

"To all of you who loved Kabosu, on the morning of the 24 May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge," Sato wrote.

"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."

The caption continued: "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."

Kabosu was diagnosed with leukaemia. (Instagram/@kabosumama)
Kabosu was diagnosed with leukaemia. (Instagram/@kabosumama)

Sato, who works as a teacher in Japan, adopted Kabosu in 2008 after she was sent to an animal shelter.

It's no surprise that news of her death has prompted a flood of tributes from fans of the doge meme over the years, with many taking to Instagram to share their condolences.

"She was not a good girl. She was the best girl," one fan commented on the announcement of Kabosu's death.

Another wrote: "rip beloved Kabosu. you gave her a wonderful life and thank you for sharing her with us and bringing everyone so much joy through doge."

Though the loss of Kabosu is sad, the shibu inu lived a good long life, years past the average lifespan of 13–16 years.

Featured Image Credit: Atsuko Sato/ balltze/Instagram

Topics: Animals, Health, Viral, Dogecoin, Dogs

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

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