7: Kabosu かぼす
The Real Doge Dog
Born: c.2005, Japan
Died: 24 May 2024, Sakura, Japan
Kabosu lived to the age of eighteen and was a Shiba Inu dog who lived with her family in Japan. Her image was used to create the “Doge” meme many years ago.
At one point in her life, Kabosu was just another dog living in a shelter, threatened with euthanasia if she wasn’t adopted. Kabosu’s owner saw her image on a local shelter’s website in 2008. Immediately falling in love with Kabosu, her owner, named Atsuko, adopted the dog, and brought her home. Atsuko decided the date she adopted Kabosu, 2 November 2008, would from then on be considered Kabosu’s birthday, but the actual day Kabosu was born is unknown.
Kabosu and Atsuko’s lives changed forever in 2010, when Atsuko posted a silly photo of Kabosu online. While the image was seemingly normal to Atsuko and her husband, it quickly went viral online. Within three years, Atsuko became aware of the fact that her seemingly normal dog Kabosu was now an internationally recognized meme called “Doge”. While Atsuko never made any money off of the initial meme, Kaboso/Doge was being sold on all manner of merchandise and was known to billions around the world.
Soon after, a new form of cryptocurrency was created, called Dogecoin. Dogecoin is available around the world on various platforms and helped launch Kabosu to even greater fame. The coin is sold under the name DOGE.
In 2021, Atsuko created seven NFTs of Kabosu that were auctioned off for charity. The total amount raised was around $3.4 million. In 2023, Twitter temporarily changed their logo away from the famous blue and white bird to an image of Kabosu as Doge.
Kabosu’s owner took excellent care of Kabosu. By the end of her life she was nearly blind and deaf because of her advanced age. She also suffered cancer at one point but was able to pull through. At the time of her death, it was estimated Kabosu was eighteen years old (or around ninety in “dog years”). She lived with several cats along with her humans, and her fans were regularly updated with the goings-on in Kabosu’s life through an Instagram and Twitter (or X, whatever you want to call it) page decided to her under the screen names @kabosumama.
In November of 2023, a statue dedicated to Kabosu was unveiled in Sakura, Japan. The statue and monument were created after hundreds of fans around the world donated the money for it to be built. The statue unveiling also took place alongside a birthday party for Kabosu, where plenty of fans came to visit the famous dog and celebrate her life and legacy.
When Kabosu passed away, Atsuko announced the news that Kabosu went peacefully, saying on her Instagram:
“She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her."
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Sources:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15142210
https://dogeshibe.fandom.com/wiki/Doge_(Kabosu)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/kabosu-dog-doge-internet-meme-died-rcna4472