Photo/Illutration The manhole cover depicting Kabosu (Provided by Sakura city)

SAKURA, Chiba Prefecture--Kabosu, the Shiba Inu dog made famous by the Doge meme, now has its own manhole cover in Sakura city, Chiba Prefecture.

Aside from the loyal statue of “Hachiko” that stands in silent vigil outside Shibuya Station in Tokyo, Kabosu may well be the “world's most famous dog” at the moment.

The manhole cover is at Sakura Furusato Square.

The design also features depictions of the square’s Hiroba windmill and tulip field, two of the park’s most popular attractions.

The image is based on a photo of Kabosu with a self-satisfied look that propelled her to worldwide fame.

“I was surprised that Kabo-chan’s crossed front paws looked as if they nearly popped out of the manhole cover,” said Atsuko Sato, 62, the nursery school teacher in Sakura who owns Kabosu. “My hope is that Sakura Furusato Square will become a place loved by people all over the globe.”

Kabosu was on the verge of being euthanized when she was adopted by an animal welfare organization. The dog was around 3 years old when Sato became her new owner.

Sato had been uploading images of Kabosu on her blog when suddenly the canine became an overnight sensation. One photo went viral so that Kabosu was nicknamed “Doge,” a play on the word “dog,” as part of an online meme.

Digital currency using her image as its logo was released. Twitter (now X)’s blue bird logo was temporarily changed to Kabosu in April 2023, too, to the awe of fans around the world.

Last November, foreign fans installed a monument in the square after raising donations. The manhole cover is located near the Saranka store within the plaza.

“We expressed our gratitude for the donation drive to set up the monument to return a favor,” said a representative of Sakura city. “Another aim is to publicize our sewage system.”

Sato said she had shared the news about the manhole lid on social media and received a far bigger response than she had expected.

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