All the president’s pets: Putin household celebrates new arrival

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at his dog Koni, during the meeting with Germany’s Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel © Axel Schmidt / AFP  

The president of Turkmenistan has presented Vladimir Putin with a belated birthday gift following their summit Wednesday – a home-bred Turkmen shepherd dog.

The Russian president, who celebrated his 65th birthday Saturday, had been meeting his Turkmen counterpart Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Sochi to discuss energy markets when he was presented with the breed known as an ‘alabai.’

Native to Central Asia, the dog is officially listed as part of Turkmenistan’s national heritage and is traditionally used by shepherds to protect their flocks.
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The alabai becomes the third pet in the Putin household, and another in a series of gifts presented by foreign leaders...https://www.rt.com/news/406393-putin-pet-turkmen-shepherd-dog/