Putin's Dog Shows Some Backbone to Japanese Guests

Cute and fluffy on the outside, but a strict guard on the inside – this is all about Yume the Akita Inu, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's pet dogs.

At the very start of an interview with Japanese media, President Putin showed off his Akita Inu dog named Yume.

"I was told that you wanted to see Yume. Here you are — she is in great shape," the Russian leader said.

December 7, 2016. The Moscow Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Akita-inu dog Yume before being interviewed by Nippon Television Network Corporation and Yomiuri Shimbun in the run-up to his official visit to Japan

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The journalists noted that they are "very happy to see that Yume is so cheerful and buoyant."

"She is a strict dog," Putin noted, adding that Yume always performs security functions.

Yume, which means "dream" in Japanese, was presented to President Putin four years ago by representatives of Japan's Akita Prefecture as a thank you gift for Russia's help after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

President Vladimir Putin and his dogs, Buffy the Bulgarian Shepherd and Yume the Akita Inu, walk in the Moscow Region. (File)

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March 24, 2013. President Vladimir Putin and his dogs, Buffy the Bulgarian Shepherd and Yume the Akita Inu, walk in the Moscow Region

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