Japanese dog that inspired the Doge meme and Dogecoin cryptocurrency has died, her owner reveals.
The shiba inu had been suffering from leukaemia and liver disease in the months before her death
Kabosu was first adopted by Atsuko Sato in 2005 following the closure of her puppy mill
The beloved dog would become the face of Twitter for a short time following Elon Musk's purchase of the social media site.
The dog, named Kabosu, shot to fame over a decade ago, being shared by millions on social media and message boards.
The 18-year-old dog had been suffering from leukaemia and liver disease.
'She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her,' Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog.
'To all of you who loved Kabosu, on the morning of the 24 May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years,' Sato, her owner, said on Instagram.
'She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her.
Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years.
'I am certain Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. That makes me the happiest owner in the world.
'I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has sent us much love to us.'
Kabosu was adopted by Sato in 2008 after being sent to an animal shelter in the wake of her puppy mill being shut down.
The now iconic 'Doge' image, dates back to a 2010 Reddit post, picturing the the smiling dog looking at the camera with its paws crossed.
Over the next several years the image would become one of the most widely-used internet memes, users often posting it alongside messages like 'Wow. So scare' and 'What r u doing?'.
Kabuso would later become the face of a cryptocurrency named Dogecoin.
