Key Takeaways
- Atsuko Sato adopted a new rescue dog named Cocoro and launched an official token on the Base blockchain.
- The COCORO token will support Sato and her charitable causes, marking a departure from unauthorized token projects.
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Atsuko Sato, who raised the famous Shiba Inu Kabosu that became the face of the Doge meme, announced today she has adopted a new rescue dog named Cocoro.
In addition to introducing the new family member, Sato said she authorized her community partner “Own The Doge” to create an official COCORO token. The token, deployed on Base, hit $100 million in fully diluted valuation in less than an hour of launch, according to GeckoTerminal data.
Please allow me to introduce our new newest family member, Cocoro.
The name comes from the word “kokoro” which means “heart” in Japanese. However, I will be calling her “Koko” for short and I prefer the spelling “Coco”, so her full name is “Cocoro”. pic.twitter.com/EB99ipJM4P— かぼすママ (@kabosumama) March 8, 2025
Sato said that previously, people she didn’t know used her dogs’ images to create and launch tokens without her permission. Now, with her new dog Cocoro, she’s partnering with a community she trusts to create an official token.
In the past, anonymous people have used my pets’ likeness to launch tokens. This time, I have given my blessing to my supportive community at Own The Doge, who I have previously worked with extensively, to create an official Cocoro token.
— かぼすママ (@kabosumama) March 8, 2025
Kokoro, a black Shiba Inu, joins Neiro, a dog already familiar to fans, as part of Sato’s growing family. The NEIRO meme coin, inspired by Sato’s Neiro, dropped around 14% following the adoption announcement, per CoinGecko.
Own The Doge disclosed that 5% of the tokens are locked in a liquidity pool, with claimable fees split between the DAO and Atsuko Sato.
To prevent initial price manipulation, the pool launched with a $1 million fully diluted valuation. 20% of the tokens are dedicated to airdrops for existing DOG and Neiro token holders.
Finally, a 5% DAO reserve provides funding for future development and community initiatives.
We are delighted to welcome the latest member of Atsuko’s family, Cocoro!
With Atsuko’s blessing, OTD is launching $Cocoro. The launch is intended to defend against unofficial, extractive deployments, while being as fair as possible and benefitting Atsuko’s existing supporters.… pic.twitter.com/6jZZK5JgS3
— Own The Doge 🐶🖼 (@ownthedoge) March 8, 2025
However, the legitimacy of Sato’s posts remains in question, especially following reports of a previous hack targeting her social media accounts. Sato also posted a similar announcement on her website on Saturday.
“I absolutely refuse to let my images be used without permission to make money! That is my strong will. If it is so useful that it can be hacked, then I thought I would create a token with people I trust and use it to protect children and animals around the world!” according to Sato’s new blog post, which was translated into English.
Kabosu, the beloved Shiba Inu who inspired the Dogecoin meme and captured the hearts of the internet, passed away last May at the age of 18 after a battle with leukemia and liver disease.
The crypto community mourned the loss deeply, with tributes pouring in from prominent figures like Elon Musk and Vitalik Buterin.
Dogecoin itself saw a temporary price surge as a touching tribute to the dog that inspired it.
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