This is Kabosu, a lady Shiba Inu living in Japan.
Kabuso is just your average cuddly pup who loves belly rubs…
…Head scratches…
…Snoozin’…
…And broccoli.
But there’s something a bit special about Miss Kabuso…
She’s also the superstar pup behind the incredibly popular Internet meme “Doge.”
If you haven’t logged onto the internet in a few months and have no idea what Doge is, it’s simple. All you have to do is take a picture of a Shiba Inu and place contemplative, complex, nonsensical, illogical, grammatically-incorrect thoughts around the Shibes in Comic Sans font. (Never forget to add a “wow.”)
To put it bluntly, Doge has blown up and Kabuso’s furry mug is everywhere.
One of the coolest things about Kabosu is that she’s a rescue pup. Kabosu belongs to 51-year-old Atsuko Sato, a kindergarten teacher in Japan who adopted her Shiba pup from an animal shelter in 2008. Kabosu was one of 19 Shiba Inus abandoned when a puppy mill closed down. Some of the pups were adopted, but many weren’t as lucky as Kabosu and were killed.
Before Kabuso became popular to the rest of the world, she was the star of Atsuko’s adorable blog where she chronicles the daily lives of her pup and cats.
Atsuko started her blog simply because she wanted to share cute pictures of her pets.
When she started to see Kabosu’s photo pop up all over the web photoshopped on rocks, Twinkies, and celebrities she thought it was a bit strange, but funny… And a bit of a lesson on how things online are very public.
As the popularity of Doge rises, Kabuso’s furry face continues to pop up everywhere. But Atsuko has no intention of Kabuso becoming the next Grumpy Cat or Lil’ Bub signing sponsorship deals with pet foods. Atsuko would rather take advantage of her pup’s fame by letting people know about animal shelters and the horrible puppy mills.
She’d rather help the abandoned animals of the world…
Typical dog person. ; )
For more info on Atsuko and Kabosu, check out this incredibly well-written article by The Verge and follow Atsuko’s blog! (All photos via Atsuko’s blog.)
See also: Understand the Doge Meme in 7 Easy Steps
