Kabosu, the dog behind the "doge" meme, has died after 14 years of internet fame, her owner has said.

The Japanese shiba inu inspired a generation of online jokes and became the face of Dogecoin cryptocurrency.

She had been suffering from leukaemia and liver disease and died on 24 May.

"She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her," Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog, thanking Kabosu's fans.

"I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner."

As a rescue dog, Kabosu's real birthday was unknown, but Ms Sato estimated her age at 18.

In 2010, two years after adopting Kabosu from a puppy mill where she would otherwise have been put down

Ms Sato, a teacher from Sakura, east of Tokyo, took a picture of her pet crossing her paws on the sofa.