Such sadness. Many memories.

In some alternate version of history, Kabosu the Shiba Inu might have lived a life of obscurity, as just a rescue dog taken in by owner Atsuko Sato in the town of Sakura, Chiba Prefecture. But when a chance snapshot of Kabosu, looking smugly silly even by Shiba Inu standards, started circulating around the Internet, a star was born, as Kabosu became the basis for the doge meme. In recognition of Kabosu’s worldwide fame, in December Sakura built a public monument to the pooch, followed by the installation of a Kabosu manhole cover in February.

Sadly, though, Kabosu has now passed away, with Sato making the announcement through her Kabosu Mama Twitter account on May 24.

“This morning, Kabo-chan entered a deep sleep. She passed away peacefully as I was petting her. To everyone who loved Kabo-chan for so long, thank you.”

Sato further expanded on Kabosu’s passing on her walks with Kabosu-chan website.

“At around 7:50 a.m. on May 24, Kabo-chan fell into a deep sleep. The night before, had eaten dinner and drank a lot of water, as normal. On a beautiful morning, with soft sunlight coming in through the window and birds singing outside, she passed peacefully as I was petting her.”

“To everyone who loved Kabo-chan for so long, thank you so much. I think she was the happiest dog in the world, and I was the world’s happiest dog owner. Even now, I think she is smiling, wagging her tail, and coming close to me. I think she will always be that way.”

On May 26, a memorial service for Kabosu, shown in the video below, was held at the Flower Kaori florist in Narita, with over 250 fans stopping by to pay their respects.

As mentioned above, Kabosu was a rescue dog, and on the verge of being put to sleep when Sato adopted her.

This past November marked 15 years since Kabosu came to the Sato household, and with Shiba Inu having an average total lifespan of 15 years, she lived a long life, one that brought joy to a lot of people around the world, and so she won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Source: Twitter/@kabosumama, Walks with Kabosu-chan, YouTube/ANNnewsCH
Top image: PR Times
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