Bertram the Pomeranian ($BERT) captured the masses’ attention with his cute face that radiated love and innocent yet sassy charm, making him insanely popular in the crypto space. The dog influencer who was the inspiration behind the memecoin $BERT is sadly no more.
The report came last week that the adorable puppy had died in his sleep, in what his owner, Kathy Grayson, defined as a “sudden and shocking” moment. “We’ve been together almost every second of every day for more than 11 years,” she told the media.
Adopted from Petfinder after his breeders abandoned him, Bert was more than just a dog for Kathy, he was her family, her light, and inspiration.
Over the years, the 11-year-old Pomeranian had accumulated a strong following on social media. Besides having 400,000 followers on Instagram, he even appeared in a Netflix movie and did photoshoots for luxury brands.
The Paddington Bear look-alike was recently part of the fun competition for the Honorary NYC Dog Mayor Election of 2024 when it caught the eye of the crypto community, which rallied behind the pooch and began marketing for the dog on social media, urging people to vote for Bert.
This resulted in a flood of votes for Bertie, with the dog winning by about 96% and the election participants calling out “election fraud.” NYTimes reported Bert’s total votes rising to over 4,000, a sharp increase from about 1,000 votes it received in the first round.
“It was really cuckoo with people alleging election fraud — in a dog election,” said Kathy. In her latest statement, Bert’s proud mom said the crypto community’s support was simply from “passionate individuals” showing their love for the dog.
Eventually, Bert conceded, and another dog won while Bert became the deputy mayor. But it was earlier this month and now Bertie is no more. His memory, however, is alive with the memecoin.
As the official website of this Solana-based memecoin states, “Abandoned by breeders, adopted and crowned by the people.”
The community behind the $BERT memecoin is now focusing on turning this heartbreak into a global movement for good. And that is what “gives me hope is the incredible movement that has formed in his name,” said Kathy.
From Pomeranian to Powerhouse: $BERT Inspiring the World
These past two months, Bert has gone from being a beloved pet to inspiring one of the most remarkable memecoins.
Launched at the beginning of October, $BERT started at a price point under $0.0001. At that time, its market cap hovered between a range of $500K and $5 million. That was up until November 13 when the value of the memecoin representing the pomeranian suddenly ripped up.
The memecoin recorded a whopping 60x increase in its value as it went from almost $0.003 to $0.180, according to DEXTools. In a matter of just 48 hours, its market cap jumped over 125%, going from less than $1.4 million to $180 million, with tens of thousands of holders joining in to make it one of the most traded tokens on Phantom, Solana’s most popular wallet.
Meanwhile, on the centralized exchange (CEX) MEXC, the $BERT price made an all-time high (ATH) at $0.218. Since then, the price has declined significantly, hitting about $0.040 on Nov. 21st.
However, volatility is part of the course in the crypto sector, more so for memecoins, which are known for their heightened fluctuations. As of writing, the $54 million market cap $BERT is trading at $0.059 while managing $8.274 million in 24-hour trading volume. At
This shows continued interest from investors in $BERT, as memecoins lead the crypto bull market narrative, which has also begun gaining traction among CEXs like Coinbase, Robinhood, Kraken, and Binance, as they start listing memecoins to capitalize on this trend.
$BERT’s community is already growing steadily and strongly, with 25.46K holders now investing in $BERT, which has a total supply of just 980 million, all of which is circulating in the market.
On the utility side, you can now spend $BERT in 136 countries with the new Zebec Silver Card. It’s super easy to use, works with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and there’s no cost to get started—no issuance fees, no KYC. On top of that, 1% of every $BERT transaction goes straight to dog shelter charities, so every time you spend, you’re helping dogs in need.
So, the community-powered $BERT memecoin isn’t only about speculation, though. It is actually on a mission to help dogs worldwide, which holds even more significance in the aftermath of Bert’s departure from this world.
The $BERT community is actively engaged in charity contributions to dog shelters, helping provide food, care, and resources. They have committed an initial $100K grant for the cause. Bert’s owner, Kathy, who now owns 1% of the $BERT supply that was originally granted to the dog, has also “pledged to hold” and use portions of it to help dogs in need worldwide, in Bert’s honor. A statue of Bert has also been commissioned in his memory.
To further take the movement forward, the project has launched a $BERT-powered AI-driven platform called Woofhub that connects dogs in need with loving homes through real-time adoption alerts. At the same time, the project is raising awareness for shelters.
Recently, BERT also introduced the WOOFhub Dog Collar, a new way to make life easier and safer for dogs and their owners. It comes with QR codes and NFC chips that connect to custom dog profiles on woofhub.com, so if a dog ever gets lost, reuniting them with their owner is quick and simple. The collar also has lights to keep dogs visible at night and can be personalized to match every pup’s unique vibe. It’s practical, thoughtful, and just the beginning of what WOOFhub is working on.
This is all just the beginning, $BERT plans to further expand its tools and foster new partnerships to build a brighter future for our furry friends and have a much larger impact on the crypto ecosystem and the world.
