Five-year-old kid names Putin’s new puppy

Moscow, Dec 10 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A five-year old boy from Moscow has won a competition to choose a name for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s new puppy.

Dima Sokolov, who chose the winning name of “Buffy”, was invited by the prime minister to the governmental residence near Moscow Thursday evening.

The Bulgarian Karakachan puppy was presented to Putin as a gift by his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov during a recent visit to Sofia.

Putin has been given all sorts of pets by many political leaders.

A Siberian tiger cub - Mashenka - was given on his 56th birthday two years ago, while a labrador named Connie was given to him when he was president by Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu on the 2001 New Year’s Eve.

The former KGB agent also has a Persian gazelle given to him by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2002. A crystal crocodile was gifted by former Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin the same year.

Putin is also the owner of a cat, two poodles and a she-goat and her offspring.

–IANS/RIA Novosti