Social media users around the world have expressed their sadness over the death of Kapuso, the famous Shiba Inu dog behind Mimi Doggie, as she took her last breath at the age of 14.
The announcement was made by Kabosu's owner who thanked everyone for their love as the dog inspired a generation of memes online. Amidst global fame, the cryptocurrency Dogecoin was launched with its image.
Her owner, Atsuko Sato, said on social media that the elderly dog died after suffering from leukemia and liver disease. “Kapuso is at rest now,” the post read.
Adopted by Sato in 2008 from an animal shelter, Kapuso created an Internet sensation two years later when a photo of the cute dog went viral, showing her with crossed paws and a slight smile.
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Dogecoin
The dog also became the face of Cryptocurrency Dogecoin, which started as a joke coin and is now associated with Watford Football Club. The meme was sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) in 2021 for $4 million
The cryptocurrency was created in 2013 by software engineers Billy Marcus and Jackson Palmer as a joke, without intending it to become very popular.
It was meant to mock the hype surrounding cryptocurrencies at the time. Despite its humorous origins, Dogecoin has gained a following and is sometimes viewed as a legitimate investment opportunity. The cryptocurrency features the Shiba Inu dog from the popular “doge” meme as its logo and namesake.
Dogecoin quickly developed an online community and at one point reached a market cap of over $85 billion.
Its price has seen fluctuations, peaking in early 2018 and another spike in 2020 following the TikTok trend. In 2021, Dogecoin made headlines when world rich man Elon Musk backed the cryptocurrency.
Twitterati went berserk when Elon Musk changed Twitter's iconic bird logo to 'doge'