Kabosu, the Shiba Inu of "much wow" and Dogecoin fame, has died. She was 18 years old.
Atsuko Sato, Kabosu's human companion, announced the doge's passing on Instagram. She died peacefully at home in Sakura, just east of Tokyo. Kabosu is survived by Sato and three cats.
According to Wikipedia, "Kabosu was a pedigree dog who was sent to an animal shelter when her puppy mill shut down. She was adopted in 2008 by Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato, and named after the citrus fruit kabosu because Sato thought she had a round face like the fruit." After one image hit on Reddit, the memefication began. Eventually, Kabosu became the face of Dogecoin.
"I am certain that Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world," Sato wrote.
Last year, a Kabosu statue and plaque was installed in Sakura City's Sakura Furusato Hiroba park.
"Kabosu, Shiba Inu Who Helped Define the Doge Meme, Dies at 18" (New York Times)
Previously:
• The real dog behind the 'doge' memes has cancer
