Most people who have been surfing the internet for some time must have known about the famous “meme dog” that went viral online in 2013.
In the original photo, a Shiba Inu is lying on the sofa with her paws crossed and her head profiled to the side. Most netizens found her charming, though her expression seemed to be mocking the viewers. Once the photo was released online, some netizens claimed that the dog’s pose was a look of arrogance. It became viral in 2013, and in a short amount of time, people online started a Photoshop battle.
The memes shared online showed a cropped head of the dog attached to a famous background, and words were added surrounding the dog’s head. Another meme that went viral was the baby’s face on a sunshine in the children’s show Teletubbies was replaced with Shiba Inu’s head. Other memes released were an album cover from the band Nirvana, a jeans commercial, and a photo of being hugged by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. A photo was also made into a collage with almost a hundred cropped pictures of the dog’s head, which was later made into a jigsaw puzzle containing hundreds of pieces. 😆
Although celebrities are more famous for memes, this Shiba Inu is still the favorite of most netizens globally. New memes of his photo are still coming in and circulating the internet. As the years passed, netizens called her “Doge.” However, her owner finally revealed her name, Kabosu.
Kabosu’s owner is a kindergarten teacher who often shares the life of his Shiba Inu and 2 cats on Instagram. The latest photo of Kabosu shared online is a comparison photo from 2013 and 2023. It has gathered much attention from her fans around the world. They claimed that Kabosu changed so much in 10 years. She is almost unrecognizable today.
The photo on the left was when Kabosu was still young and the photo that started the meme battle online. The one on the right is her latest photo in 2023. Kabosu is 17 years old, which is almost 84 years old when converted to human years. She has become a senior dog, and her eyesight is no longer as clear as when she was young.
Looking back to when Kabosu’s meme was still going viral on the internet, some netizens had other ideas about the meme photos of the famous Shiba Inu. A jigsaw puzzle containing hundreds of pieces has become one of the favorite pastimes of some people. If all the pieces were finally put together, the puzzle would show hundreds of Kabosu’s headshots made into a collage. Most netizens thought it would be the perfect gift for friends who are fans of the famous Shiba Inu.
Kabosu still lives with her master, but her facial expression has changed into a calmer look, which is very different from the mock arrogance expression she had back then in her photo.
In her earlier years, Kabosu was abandoned at a shelter by her former owner and was almost facing euthanasia. Fortunately, she was adopted by her current owner and lived a happy and stable life since. Her success came by accident when her photo was shared online, and netizens transformed the photo into several memes.
In 2022, Kabosu’s owner noticed the deterioration in her health just as she was about to celebrate her 17th birthday. However, when Kabosu turned 18, her followers were saddened by her owner’s story on Instagram.
“On May 24th, 7:50 in the morning, Kabosu was in a deep sleep,” Kabosu’s owner said. “She ate as usual last night and drank a lot of water. It was a beautiful morning! The light came in from the window, the smell of flowers coming from outside, and birds were singing outside. She seemed to be sleeping while the sunlight caressed her beautiful face. She has passed away quietly in he sleep. Thank you for your long-term love for Kabosu. I think Kabosu is the happiest dog in the world, and I am also the happiest owner in the world. I think Kabosu is still smiling, wagging her tail, and snuggling up to me. I’m sure this will continue.”
Many of Kabosu’s followers were reluctant to say goodbye but wished her all the best and eternal happiness in Heaven. 18-year-old Kabosu lived a long life and was content. May you continue to watch over your owner, who still loves you while you are in Heaven.
Images credits: © かぼすママ (Kabosu Mama) @kabosumama/Instagram
Facebook post credits: © LOOKER Pets