Wikipedia

Pets of Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin, the current president of Russia, has owned many dogs over time. His fondness of dogs has led to dogs becoming a notable political gift in Russian diplomatic relations.[1][2]

List of dogs

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When Putin took office, the Putin family had two poodles, Tosya and Rodeo. They reportedly stayed with his ex-wife Lyudmila after their divorce.[3]

 
Putin with Konni in 2001.

Konni (1999–2014)

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Main article: Konni (dog)

Konni (1999–2014) was a female black Labrador Retriever. Konni was born in 1999 and presented to Putin in December 2000. Konni was often seen at Putin's side, and was sometimes allowed to attend meetings when he greeted world leaders during visits to Russia.

During a meeting with Angela Merkel, German Chancellor at the time, in 2007 in Putin's home in Sochi, Konni attended the meeting. Merkel, who was bitten by a dog in 1995, was seen freezing up as Konni sniffed her. Merkel later stated of the incident that: "He's afraid of his own weakness. Russia has nothing, no successful politics or economy. All they have is this."[4] Putin himself said in 2016 to the German newspaper Bild, that he had no intention of scaring Merkel and that he had apologized to her.[5]

Putin was being updated on the progress of the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) in 2007 when he inquired whether he would be able to buy a device hooked into GLONASS that would allow him to keep track of his dog, Konni. The collar was demonstrated on Konni on 17 October 2008, thus making Konni the first recipient of a GLONASS-enabled pet collar.[6][7]

Buffy (2010–present)

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Buffy, a caramel and white Bulgarian male 10-week-old shepherd Karakachan dog, was given to President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Bulgaria in November 2010 by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.[8][9] The name 'Buffy' was chosen by a five-year-old boy during a nationwide competition.[10]

Yume (2012–present)

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Yume, a 3-month-old female Akita puppy, arrived in Moscow from Tokyo, Japan, in July 2012, as the Akita Prefecture's gift to show gratitude for assistance from Russia after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. 'Yume' means 'dream' in Japanese.[11][12][13]

In 2016, the Japanese government offered Putin a male Akita puppy as a companion for Yume, but this gift was declined.[14][15]

Verny (2017–present)

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Verny was a 65th birthday gift from Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, President of Turkmenistan, during a meeting in Sochi in October 2017. The puppy is an Alabai, a top Turkmen-bred variety of the Central Asia shepherd dog. 'Verny' means 'faithful' or 'loyal' in Russian.[16]

Pasha (2019–present)

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Pasha (Serbian Cyrillic: Паша) is a Šarplaninac puppy that was given to Vladimir Putin from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić during an official visit in January 2019.[17][18]

Unknown (2024-present)

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Two seemingly adult dogs of the North Korean Pungsan breed were given to Vladimir Putin by Kim Jong Un on a visit Putin made to Pyongyang in June 2024.[19]

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    Putin with Konni in 2002
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    Buffy in 2013
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    Putin with Yume and Buffy in 2013
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    Putin with Yume in 2016
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    Putin with Verni as a puppy in 2017
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    Vučić presenting Putin with Pasha in 2019

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "What's with world leaders giving Vladimir Putin puppies as gifts?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  2. ^ "What Putin's dogs teach us about the man". Dallas News. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Сколько собак у Путина?" [How many dogs does Putin have?]. aif.ru (in Russian). 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  4. ^ "That time Putin brought his dog to a meeting to scare Angela Merkel". Business Insider. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Exklusives BILD-Interview mit dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin". bild.de (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. ^ Shchedrov, Oleg (24 December 2007). "Can the Russian GPS System Track My Dog?". Reuters, New York, USA. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
  7. ^ Powell, Lee (18 October 2008). "Russia's Putin Tests Tracking Device on Dog, Konni". YouTube.com. The Associated Press, USA. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  8. ^ Lodge, Elspeth (17 December 2010). "Putin loves new dog Buffy, except for 'puddles' and 'piles'". National Post. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Vladimir Putin .... the Buffy slayer?". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  10. ^ Osborn, Andrew (10 December 2010). "Vladimir Putin names puppy Buffy". The Telegraph. Moscow. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Interview by President Vladimir Putin to Nippon TV and Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper in Japan". The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  12. ^ Amos, Howard (13 December 2016). "Putin Tries Dog Diplomacy Before Japan Talks Over Islands". U.S. News & World Report, L.P. The Associated Press, USA. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Video of President Putin With Yume Revives Akita Boom in Russia". THE JAPAN TIMES, LTD. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Putin turns down Japanese dog gift, MP says". BBC News. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  15. ^ Connolly, Amy R. (10 December 2016). "Russia's Vladimir Putin declines Japan's diplomatic dog gift". United Press International. Moscow. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  16. ^ Lister, Tim (12 October 2017). "Pup-lover Putin Gifted New Dog for 65th Birthday". CNN, US. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Putin gets puppy and hero's welcome on Serbia trip". The Guardian. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Aleksandar Vucic gave Vladimir Putin a Sarplaninac puppy". Twitter, US. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  19. ^ The Telegraph (20 June 2024). Putin and Kim laugh and chat in front seat footage from limo drive in Pyongyang. Retrieved 20 June 2024 – via YouTube.
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