Photo/Illutration A farewell ceremony for Kabosu, a world-famous Shiba Inu, is held on May 26 in Narita, Chiba Prefecture. (Yunisu Mahar)

NARITA, Chiba Prefecture--Kabosu, the 18-year-old Shiba Inu dog who became an internet sensation and the face of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, died peacefully at her home in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.

On May 26, Kabosu’s owner, Atsuko Sato, a nursery school teacher, held a farewell ceremony for the beloved dog at a flower shop here, where many fans mourned her passing.

“She was like a life partner,” Sato, 62, said at the ceremony, reminiscing about her more than 15 years of memories with Kabosu.

She chose to hold the ceremony at “Flower kaori” instead of her home as she wanted Kabosu to go to heaven surrounded by flowers.

By 1 p.m., when the event began, a line of more than 50 fans had formed at the venue to bid their final farewells.

There were also media outlets from countries overseas, including the United Arab Emirates and Germany.

Photo albums, handmade stuffed animals and photo panels featuring Kabosu were on display, and some people were even wearing Kabosu T-shirts.

Dion, a 30-year-old designer from Belgium, said he first learned about Kabosu online when he was in high school. He even gave Sato a painting of Kabosu after he moved to Japan seven years ago.

“I knew she was old and being cared for, but it’s still sad,” he said.

People from the cryptocurrency industry also gathered at the event.

“Globally, she may be even more famous than Hachiko,” said Yoshifumi Nishiyama, a 34-year-old analyst at SBI VC Trade Co. “I think she is a dog that will be included in Japanese folklore 100 years from now.”

Kabosu was a shelter dog scheduled for euthanasia, but Sato adopted her in the fall of 2008.

In 2010, a seemingly ordinary event would change both their lives.

Sato posted a photo on her blog of Kabosu sitting on the couch with her front paws crossed, giving a skeptical, sideways glance.

It was just an ordinary photo.

Three years later, Sato learned from a friend that the photo had become a meme online. Kabosu became known as “Doge,” a play on the word “dog,” and her image was used on clothing and wallets, and even inspired a cryptocurrency called “Dogecoin.”

In 2021, Sato auctioned off seven photos of Kabosu for charity, raising more than 500 million yen ($3.18 million) in total.

All of the money, after covering expenses, went to children’s rights groups in Japan and internationally as donations. This included funding for building and repairing schools in Iraq, South Sudan and Vietnam through international NGOs.

In April last year, Elon Musk even temporarily changed the bird logo of Twitter, now X, to Kabosu in response to requests from his followers.

As Kabosu became increasingly famous, she, like all dogs, could not escape the aging process. From January of this year, she was no longer able to move her body freely and required nursing care.

Sato would take Kabosu in a wheelchair to kindergartens. The children would pet her, put toys on her head and play with her. Sato said that children who had difficulty speaking became more talkative by interacting with her.

On the morning of May 23, Kabosu lost consciousness and had a full-body seizure that lasted more than 20 minutes.

She was given medication at the hospital and seemed to have recovered, but she had another seizure the next morning, took a deep breath, and passed away.

After announcing Kabosu’s death, Sato received more than 10,000 messages of condolence from around the world on X and Instagram by the evening of May 26.

“I used to wonder what would happen when she died, but I still feel her presence close, as if she’s nestled in my chest pocket, warming my heart,” Sato said.

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