Pup-lover Putin gifted new dog for birthday

[link to www.cnn.com]

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a dog lover, was presented Wednesday with a puppy as a belated birthday gift from the leader of Turkmenistan.

Television coverage showed a delighted Putin, who celebrated his 65th birthday on October 7, holding and kissing the dog, named Verny, or "Faithful" in Russian, during a meeting in Sochi, Russia.
The albai, a top Turkmen-bred variety of the Central Asian shepherd dog, joins the Kremlin's growing kennel.

Foreign leaders from Japan and Bulgaria have also gifted Putin puppies, but the President's most beloved dog was a black Labrador named Koni, a present from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"As far as bad moods go," Putin said once, "of course I have them like any other person, but in those cases I try to consult with my dog Koni -- she gives me good advice."
Koni was famous for terrifying German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a meeting in 2007. Photos of the meeting showed Merkel, who was once attacked by a dog, looking apprehensive as Koni approached.
Putin told a magazine many years later: "When I found out that she doesn't like dogs, of course I apologized." Some of the German press corps thought it had been a deliberate ploy to intimidate Merkel.