The Dog Behind Dogecoin is Seriously Ill, Owner Confirms

According to the owner, Kabosu, the Shiba Inu dog who serves as the signature image of Dogecoin and the “doge” meme, is in a “dangerous” position in terms of health.

Atsuko Sat, a kindergarten teacher from Japan and Kabosu’s owner, said on Instagram on December 26 that the rescue dog was in a “dangerous” situation but promised her followers that the Inu will be “absolutely fine” and is “getting power from all over the world” from supporters.

The Instagram message was also shared on Twitter. The announcement sparked an outflow of supportive comments. 

One well-wisher on Twitter offered to cover “any expenses needed to make sure she gets the best treatment.”

Billy Markus, the co-creator of Dogecoin, encouraged his two million followers on December 26 to give “[love] and [prayers] and good vibes” to Satō and Kabosu.

Previously, Satō stated that Kabosu seems to have been sick since Christmas Eve and has been refusing to eat or drink. However, Satō did not specify what medical issues Kabosu is dealing with. 

It should be mentioned that Shiba Inu dogs have an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years, while Kabosu just turned 17 in 2022.

Kabosu Inspired Dogecoin Creators

In 2010, an image of Kabosu from Sat’s blog inspired the viral “doge” meme design. Eventually, the meme’s popularity prompted Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer to create what is widely regarded as the first “meme coin,” Dogecoin, in 2013, as a joke.

Despite being launched as a joke, Dogecoin is still extremely popular in the world of cryptocurrencies almost ten years later.

According to CoinGecko data, DOGE is the eighth largest coin, with a market capitalization of nearly $10.4 billion.

DOGE’s popularity skyrocketed after Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of electric vehicle Tesla, and Twitter actively supported the memecoin over BTC. Elon Musk had proposed Dogecoin as a payment method for Twitter Blue subscribers long before he owned Twitter.