Labrador Connie Polgrave (Horses)
Perhaps the best known to the public is Putin’s Labrador dog named Koni. She was a star of the press, often appearing on the pages of magazines and newspapers, as she often entered the room where negotiations and important meetings were taking place.
Photo from Wikipedia
By the way! One of her first “star” appearances in front of the camera took place at a meeting between the prime minister and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is terrified of dogs. A strong tension is visible on her face as the coal Labrador girl walks. Journalists wondered for a long time: was this an accident?
Photo from Wikipedia
On behalf of the presidential favorite, the book “Kony Tells” was written, which tells about life next to the head of state through a dog’s eyes. Residents of one of the Moscow apartment buildings pooled their money and erected a monument to her in order to save their yard from development.
So, the breed of Putin’s dog Koni is a purebred Labrador. Having an excellent pedigree, the dog was distinguished by loyalty, kindness, flexible character and intelligence. The black female was born in 1999 and was purchased for training in one of the canine units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. A year and a half later, the then head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and now Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu gave a puppy to his friend Vladimir Vladimirovich.
As an adult, Connie regularly produced offspring. So, in 2008, on the day of the parliamentary elections, she gave birth to eight puppies. Putin gave some of them to ordinary people who expressed their desire to adopt pets during the annual direct line with the president or in letters.
A couple of dogs were given as a gift to the Austrian President Thomas Klestil as babies. He did not live long - he died just 2 years later, but the widow did not even think of placing her late husband’s favorites in another house, leaving them for herself. Some descendants of the presidential Labrador serve in the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other departments. At the end of 2014, at the age of 15, Koni's heart stopped, but people still remember her and consider Putin's favorite breed of dogs to be mainly coal-black Labradors - ideal companions for a family or a single person.
Putin's other dogs
Vladimir Putin has other dogs. So, he really loves the Bulgarian Shepherd (another name is the Karakachan dog) named Buffy . Putin received a Bulgarian Shepherd puppy as a gift during his official visit to Sofia in 2010 from Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov , who is a breeder of this breed. The Russian president was so fascinated by the puppy that he immediately hugged and kissed the baby. The name Buffy was chosen by the whole world, and the Russian president settled on the proposal of five-year-old Dima Sokolov .
In 2013, Vladimir Putin starred in a touching photo shoot with the grown-up Buffy, who had turned into a powerful beast, and Yume, who was one year old at the time.
There is also information in the media that in 1999, Vladimir Putin bought his wife Lyudmila a female toy poodle, which they named Tosya . Tosya soon gave birth to a puppy named Rodeo , who also remained to live in the president's family.
After the divorce, Vladimir Putin left the poodles to his ex-wife.
Alabai Verny
“I want to buy a dog like Putin’s, I don’t know the name of the breed, it’s big and beautiful!” — such search queries were sent by Russians after seeing touching photos of the president kissing a shaggy puppy. We are talking about Vepaly's alabai, donated in 2021 in Sochi, whose nickname translated from Turkmen means “faithful.” The Central Asian Shepherd Dog is the national treasure of Turkmenistan, known throughout the world.
Unlike other presidential pets, the alabai is completely unpretentious in food and eats everything that is given to it. Now Verny is a young male, distinguished by courage, devotion, excellent health and irrepressible energy. Despite their impressive size and menacing appearance, Alabai are as vulnerable as children and love their owner very much. They need supervision and training. It is noteworthy that from the very beginning Verny did not find a common language with the other inhabitants of the nursery; he often conflicts with anyone who encroaches on his freedom or the desired bone.
What kind of presidents are their dogs?
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Labrador Koni. Photo: TASS/Vladimir Rodionov
I was simply forced to remember about the Labrador, or, more precisely, about the “Labrador,” as we, journalists from the Kremlin pool, called her - I was simply forced by a wild incident that happened the other day in the American White House.
“A dog named Sunny, whose owner is outgoing US President Barack Obama,” the world media reported, “bite a girl who came to the White House. The 18-year-old guest wanted to pet and kiss the pet, but he greeted her unfriendly and bit her in the face. The president's doctor stitched the victim. According to media reports, the girl will have a scar from her encounter with the president’s dog.”
Barack Obama's dog Sunny
Photo: EAST NEWS
But Koni, Vladimir Putin’s first “Kremlin” dog, which he got at the end of 2000, forgave us everything!
By the way, Sergei Shoigu gave the puppy to the president. Moreover, he did this in secret from the Kremlin protocol service. At first, Koni was raised in the dog kennel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations - she was trained to save people trapped under rubble. But this did not stop her from becoming a “qualified presidential watchman,” as I wrote then in one of my materials on the dog topic. It turned out that a dog for Putin is much more than just a travel companion while walking along the alleys of Novo-Ogarevo or Bocharov Ruchey.
And when the president introduced his pet to the press - this was in 2001 - then the dog had already grown up - we didn’t even have any fears that it might bite. Although some girls from the Kremlin pool stroked her and kissed her...
Koni has participated in high-level negotiations more than once. Photo: TASS/Dmitry Astakhov
Once Putin brought Koni to the presidential Christmas tree in the Kremlin, brought him to the stage of the State Kremlin Palace - the guys who gathered in the hall that day were so delighted!
Koni took part in negotiations at the highest level - there are several photos confirming this. She frequented presidential press conferences in Novo-Ogarevo (walked through the rows, sniffed journalists, wagging her tail in a friendly manner), and rode with Putin in his car (at least around the territory of the residence). And she even flew with the owner on a plane on vacation to Sochi.
And she “sinned” only once: a table was set in one of the halls, Koni entered there, she really liked the cake - well, she licked it!
I was probably luckier than other journalists - I saw not only photos showing the head of state floundering in the snow with his “four-legged companions.” I had the opportunity to observe “Putin’s Living Corner”, as they say, in a home interior. This was soon after one day, Komsomolskaya Pravda, on the 1st page, issued a downright “growling” announcement for my next article on the same canine topic: “Putin’s dogs - who are they?” The President then admitted to me when we met: “Yes, there is a whole kennel in my circle!”
I have never heard the presidential dog bark. But three times I had the opportunity to visit Putin’s personal apartments in the Novo-Ogarevo residence near Moscow, where I witnessed the following scene: a huge Horse (she had just returned from a walk with her owner) was rolling on the floor, and small toy poodles Tosya and Rodeo, who then lived in the president’s family, jumped on her with cheerful barking and tried to grab her by the ears... Then they began to jump on the chairs. Even then, the president's dog only growled in a friendly manner. By the way, that evening Putin the dog walker looked - well, let's say, very informally: black jeans, brown, rather worn (for walking a dog) boots. The President extended his hand to me, but a handshake in the usual sense did not work out: Putin’s palm was stained with dirt (as I understood, he was playing with a dog on the street - throwing it a ball that was peeking out of his jacket pocket). Therefore, instead of a palm, Vladimir Vladimirovich, as they do in such cases (including dog walkers), simply handed me his sleeve.
And once there was such a case. I, on my journalistic business, found myself at the president’s house late on Sunday evening. And suddenly I caught myself having no idea what to talk about at his house at such an hour. About business? Inconvenient... Interviewing? This is not the case... And I began to talk about my German shepherd with the journalist nickname Granka. She usually met me at the door at night, when I returned from business trips (and that was the only time I had to travel with the president) at the door, sniffed me, led me to the kitchen...
Putin appreciated and supported the dog theme.
It's been several years since Koni has been gone. She died of old age. A dog's life is short. Of course, the press didn’t report this - it’s not our custom. But in vain... If we told how Putin was worried, it would only add new features to the image of the head of state.
2006 Vladimir Putin meets with foreign journalists. Photo: ITAR-TASS/ Dmitry Astakhov
They say: the owner’s character - whether he wants it or not - is imprinted on his dog, and the mood is even more transmitted to the four-legged friend. I’m not a dog psychologist, much less a human one... But I’ll venture to guess: not only Putin influenced the character and behavior of his not-biting (in vain) “Labrador,” but also Koni influenced her owner. (It seems that her followers are of the same good-natured disposition.) Maybe that’s why the owner is so balanced and self-possessed?
And also not biting. With no reason…
From here comes another conclusion: what kind of presidents are their dogs?
The president now has a dog named Yume, a Japanese Akita Inu breed.
Photo: EASTNEWS/AP/FOTOLINK
BY THE WAY
“The first pets” of the world and their owners-presidents
“It’s good to be a cat, it’s good to be a dog...” Especially if your owner is the main person in the country. They write about you in the newspapers, feed you all sorts of goodies and health benefits, and the queue for your offspring is a kilometer long. And why? Because you are the main dog of the country. Well, or a cat (details)
Sharplana Shepherd Dog Pasha
Photo from Wikipedia website
At the beginning of 2021, Putin got another shepherd dog, this time from Serbian lands. The puppy was presented by the President of Serbia. Before this generous and beautiful gift, few Russians had ever seen this rare breed - the Sharplanin.
The main advantage and calling of dogs like Pasha is the ability to protect the territory and their owner, herd the herd and fearlessly engage in battle with predators. This is a large herding breed, reaching up to 70 cm at the withers. It is not intended for apartments - its place is in open fields or a large area. It is noteworthy that for many years it was strictly prohibited to export Sharplanin Shepherd dogs from Yugoslavia. They are a symbol of loyalty and selfless love for the one who was chosen from family members in childhood, which is why Vucic chose such a sign of attention to the Russian leader, emphasizing the strong friendly ties between the peoples of the countries.
Akita-ino named Yume
In 2012, the president’s dog tribe was replenished with a gift from the grateful Japanese authorities. The three-month-old puppy of the national treasure of the Land of the Rising Sun, Akita Ino, became the gratitude of the Governor of Akita Prefecture Norihiso Satake for Russia’s help in eliminating the consequences of the earthquake and tsunami. No wonder the red-haired kid received the nickname Yume - Dream.
Today Yume is a serious and strict dog, capable of selflessly protecting its owner. She is also a great partner for the Bulgarian Shepherd Buffy in fun games.
The dogs are almost the same age. They especially enjoy infrequent walks with their beloved owner. Despite being very busy with government affairs, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin takes short moments to tinker with his favorites. And recently, an entire photo shoot was dedicated to his walk through the winter forest, which became a hit on the Internet. During the process, the president had a blast riding in the fresh snow with his favorites, throwing snowballs at them and even playing tag.
Kyrgyz Greyhound (Taigan) Sherkhan
Photo from Wikipedia website
The six-month-old puppy was presented as a gift to Vladimir Putin by the President of Kyrgyzstan and was named Sherkhan. Giving a Taigan as a gift means expressing the deepest respect for a person, because the Kyrgyz hound has existed for more than 12 thousand years and is an endangered species, a national treasure. Intelligence, grace, speed, endurance, loyalty, calmness, and inherent nobility within nature make this dog a real treasure. Here are a few more undeniable advantages of Taigan:
- exceptional courage - often greyhounds alone go after a wolf during a hunt;
- high level of intelligence;
- independence, but at the same time contact, the need for affection;
- strong immunity.
Many people would like to have a dog of the same breed as Putin. But which one should you choose? In a small house or city apartment, Labrador and Akita Inu will feel best. For others, cramped conditions and limited space are extremely harmful. In addition, all these dogs need constant communication and education, physical activity, and special nutrition, which is provided by the constantly working canine service of the presidential kennel. Before buying a puppy, you should consult with breeders, owners and dog handlers and make a decision, soberly weighing all the pros and cons.
Buffy the Shepherd
What dog was given to Putin ? The Bulgarian Shepherd was presented to the leader as a gift during his visit to Bulgaria. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria decided to give him a gift, knowing how much he loves animals. Putin was delighted with such a gift that he could not resist and hugged the baby right at the delivery. What is the name of Putin's dog ? The puppy’s name at that time was Yorgo, but the president didn’t like it. A competition was announced for a new name for the dog, and the president chose Buffy.
The leader said that Connie greeted the puppy kindly, but Buffy likes to bite Connie's ears and tail, and when he overdoes it, he gets angry. One of the most precious Akita Inu breeds, named Ume, was presented to Putin as a present in 2012 by the Japanese authorities because Russia helped the country eliminate the consequences of a large-scale tsunami and earthquake. Many people wonder what Putin's favorite dog is ? As the leader himself admitted, he loves all three pets equally.
Other living gifts for the president
In addition to the Labrador, Alabai, Akita Inu named Yume and other dogs, Vladimir Vladimirovich was given other animals. Among them are horses presented in different years for memorable dates. For example, the first proud animal was donated in 2000 by the governor of the Oryol region, Yegor Stroev. A true thoroughbred trotter has long been the pride of the presidential stable. Soon he was paired with the bay stallion of the Akhal-Teke breed Nagara, he was a present from the head of Bashkiria Murtaz Rakhimov. Putin remembered the opening of the International Equestrian Sports Complex in Kazan not only as a solemn event, but also as a unique gift from the head of Nizhnekamsk, Ilsur Metshin. The little fallabella pony was an unexpected and sweet surprise. The horse's nicknames were often changed: sometimes the boy was Chip, sometimes Semyon. But none of them suited the cheerful disposition of the horse. One day, Vladimir Vladimirovich’s wife Lyudmila Aleksandrovna looked into the stable. Seeing the baby, she immediately came up with a new nickname for him - Vadik, which was immediately liked not only by those around him, but also, it seems, by the animal himself. At least he readily responded to this cute name.
His menagerie was not limited to Putin’s horses and dogs. There are tigers, leopards, and even the white goat Skazka, donated by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. The animal symbolized the coming year 2003.
