“I posted Doge for the first time,” John Monarch mentions casually, just minutes after I sit at his table upon sneaking into the Tokyo hotel’s breakfast buffet.
Excuse me? Yes, apparently I was sitting next to the creator of the original Doge meme, and we were about to board a bus to the 18th birthday party of Kabosu, the real-life dog behind Doge.
Kabosu: The real-life Doge turns 18
Kabosu lives in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, which is not far from Tokyo’s Narita Airport. When her breeder went out of business in 2008, she and 19 other Shiba Inus were taken to an animal shelter to be put down. However, she was rescued by local kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato, (better known as @kabosumama to her 67,000 followers on X), who named her after a citrus fruit due to her round face.
“Kabosu likes to make this face all the time when relaxed,” Atsuko responded to a question from the birthday crowd.
In a rare 2020 interview with KnowYourMeme, Atsuko recalled that she contacted the shelter because “two years had passed since I lost my previous dog, and I wanted to live with a dog again.” Most of Kabosu’s brothers and sisters weren’t so lucky.
Magazine author Elias Ahonen flew to visit Doge on her 18th birthday. Bad Luck Brian, another meme, can be seen in the background.
Fifteen years later, on November 2, 2023 at her party, she’s lucky to still be with us. 18 is about 90 in dog years, which is an impressive feat.
As the mayor of Sakura excitedly addresses a crowd gathered around a Dutch-style windmill, Kabosu’s stroller is wheeled toward the stage, delighting onlookers. It’s her 18th birthday (sort of), with Atsuko having decided she was three years old on adoption. A declaration by a National Day Calendar representative is read out: henceforth, November 2nd is International Doge Day.
“I remember her staring at me from the corner of the room with doll-like eyes,” Atsuko recounts, holding her.
Kabosu is DOGE — “Do Only Good Everyday,” as Atsuko…
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