Dogecoin Co-Founder Estimates Half of Japan's Dogs Are Shibas
Billy Markus posted a personal, unverified estimate on X that half the dogs he sees in Japan are Shiba Inus.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Dogs
Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus posted on X on Saturday, November 7, that he estimates half the dogs he sees in Japan are Shiba Inus. The post, made under the handle Shibetoshi Nakamoto, gave no count, observation period, or survey method.
Why it matters
The post is a personal observation rather than a data release, but it touches on the Shiba Inu breed's cultural visibility in Japan, where the Doge meme originated with a Japanese Shiba. Readers interested in the breed's popularity should treat the figure as anecdotal.
The figure is a single individual's estimate posted on X, not a count or survey result. Because Markus gave no sample size or observation window, the 50% share cannot be compared against any official breed registry or national dog census.
The players
Billy Markus
Billy Markus is a software engineer who co-founded Dogecoin in 2013 alongside Jackson Palmer, and he posts publicly about the cryptocurrency's cultural origins.
Dogecoin
Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency launched in 2013 that began as a meme-inspired joke and became one of the best-known early altcoins.
The details
Markus, who co-founded Dogecoin in 2013, posted the estimate under the handle Shibetoshi Nakamoto, a name that references the Shiba Inu. Dogecoin drew on the Doge meme, which featured Kabosu, a Japanese Shiba Inu, while the separate Shiba Inu token launched in 2020 on Ethereum; the post did not address either token's activity or price.
Timeline
2013: Dogecoin launched.
2020: The Shiba Inu token launched.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 11:08 p.m. ET: Markus posted the dog-breed estimate on X.
Cultural Roots
The Shiba Inu's prominence in Japan predates the internet, but the Doge meme, built on Kabosu, turned the breed into a global online symbol that Dogecoin later adopted. Markus' estimate reflects how that meme-driven image continues to shape how the breed is perceived.
Readers curious about Shiba Inu ownership should research the breed's temperament and care needs before adopting, rather than relying on popularity estimates. Social media figures like this one should not be used to judge how common the breed is locally.
The takeaway
A single observer's estimate is a starting point for curiosity, not evidence of breed prevalence. Verify popularity claims against registry or census data before drawing conclusions.
Further reading
Explore more on the breed in our Dogs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TokenPost.
