Putin’s new dog Buffy

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has finally chosen the name Buffy for his new dog. After thousands of suggestions submitted by Russians via internet, Mr. Putin has taken the advice of a five-year-old boy from Moscow, Dima Sokolov.

Buffy the Dog

Putin’s new dog Buffy is a 12-weeks-old male puppy of the Bulgarian sheepdog breed, the Karakachan. It was gifted to the Russian Prime Minister in Sofia, Bulgaria, by his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov to mark the signing of Bulgaria’s commitment to the South Stream energy pipeline. When Mr. Putin playfully pawed the fluffy gift it was obviously the love at first sight.

After moving to Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo dacha the joyful puppy has considerably grown and has learnt to open the doors to find way to his favorite place in the house, the kitchen.

Though Putin’s new dog was reacting to his official name Yorgo, his master decided to rename the pet and appealed to the nation for help. Now Buffy the dog has already got used to his new name.

My new Dog 

Buffy has successfully joined the ever-growing prime ministerial menagerie. He gets along well with Russia’s long-established top-dog, Labrador Retriever Connie, though she sometimes snarls at him if she gets tired of his constant nips to her tail and ears. When a journalist suggested that male Buffy should be kept away from female Connie, Putin said that the journalist himself should be kept away from the ladies. My new dog “may stay with a girl, he’s very well-mannered,” Putin was reported to say. 

Putin – Bush

Putin seems to be very proud with Buffy who is promising to become a large and strong dog. 

Former President Bush in his recently published memoir, “Decision Points,” recalls an episode when he had introduced then-Russian President Putin to his Scottish terrier, Barney, on a visit to the U.S. presidential retreat, Camp David. On the next Putin – Bush meeting the Russian leader returned the favor when the American president visited Russia. 

Putin and Bush were taking a tour of the grounds of Putin’s dacha. “A big black Labrador came charging across the lawn. With a twinkle in his eye, Vladimir said, ‘Bigger, stronger, faster than Barney,'” Bush writes.

With Buffy in his pack Mr. Putin is sure to outrun most world leaders who love dogs including Russian President Medvedev’s pack.

Russian Boy 

Dima Sokolov became the lucky winner of the nationwide Putin’s dog naming contest with the help of his parents who found the successful name on the Internet. “Our own imagination isn’t that good,” Dima’s mother Yulia told journalists.

According to Mr. Putin, he had received quite a lot of suggestions, but Dima’s proposal was the best among them. The Prime Minister also liked the name Balkan, which stems half from the traditional Russian dog name Polkan and half from the Balkans.

The happy Sokolovs were invited to meet Buffy the dog at Putin’s dacha house. Mr. Putin praised Dima’s choice of the name and presented the Russian boy with a soccer ball, saying that he should practice in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup in 2018, which will be hosted by Russia.