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Japanese dog who inspired ‘Dogecoin’ meme, beloved by Elon Musk, has died

  • Rescue dog, Kabosu, whose photo inspired a generation of oddball online jokes and the US$23-billion Dogecoin cryptocurrency, has died
  • Kabosu’s real birthday was unknown, but her owner estimated her age at 18, past the average lifespan for a Shiba Inu

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The Japanese dog that inspired the ‘Dogecoin’ cryptocurrency has passed away. Photo: Shutterstock

The Japanese dog whose photo inspired a generation of oddball online jokes and the US$23-billion Dogecoin cryptocurrency beloved by Elon Musk died on Friday, her owner said.

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“She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her,” Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog, thanking the fans of her Shiba Inu called Kabosu – the face of the “Doge” meme.

“I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner,” Sato wrote.

As a rescue dog, Kabosu’s real birthday was unknown, but Sato estimated her age at 18, past the average lifespan for a Shiba Inu, with her birthday celebrated in November.

Atsuko Sato with Kabosu, best known as the logo of cryptocurrency Dogecoin, playing with students at a kindergarten in Narita, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo. Photo: AFP
Atsuko Sato with Kabosu, best known as the logo of cryptocurrency Dogecoin, playing with students at a kindergarten in Narita, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo. Photo: AFP

In 2010, two years after adopting Kabosu from a puppy mill where she would otherwise have been put down, Sato took a picture of her pet crossing her paws on the sofa.

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