Can Russian GPS system track my dog? Putin asks
Vladimir Putin is a weird guy, but I can see why the Russian people like him. He's a character, for one thing. But, more importantly, he's a real dog lover. I know from other things I've read that he dotes on his black Lab, Koni. His wife also has a Poodle. There may be other dogs in the Putin household. According to
Koni is well known in Russia as she has been known to sit on the President's lap during meetings. She also gatecrashed an official Kremlin party, by escaping from her quarters to join the President on stage whilst he addressed a congregation of press, politicians and members of the public.
Putin has also had to ask the press to stop feeding Koni during press conferences. "Sometimes, Koni leaves a room full of journalists with a very pleased expression on her face and biscuit crumbs around her mouth," Putin told the journalists when he asked them to desist.
Koni. Photo from oilandglory.com
According to one foreign policy blog, Putin is not above using his dogs to intimidate his political peers:
Angela Merkel apparently has a fear of dogs. Vladimir Putin is aware of this fact. Therefore, whenever Putin meets with Merkel in Moscow, he makes sure his pet dogs are in the room.
Press accounts suggest this to be true. President Putin loves his dogs, and he appears to use them to intimidate Chancellor Merkel during tough negotiations. This was the initial test, in January 2006:
Putin, who already met Merkel several times when she was opposition leader of the conservative Christian Democrats, said his meeting with her had taken place "in a very good atmosphere." Earlier, Putin, who likes dogs, had given Merkel a gift of a small toy black and white dog, which had a short leash. Merkel, however, does not like dogs - she was bitten by one when she was young and has since kept her distance, according to an aide. German diplomats said they were unsure how to interpret the gift.
One year later, in January 2007, Putin brought in diplomatic reinforcements during a dust-up with Merkel over energy supplies:
Later, when Koni, Putin's black Labrador, made her domineering entrance, Merkel nervously, or perhaps wishfully, commented in Russian, "Now the dog is going to eat the journalists." [...] Kremlin critic and journalist Yulia Latynina, writing for "Yezhednevny zhurnal," said the "friendly meeting in Sochi between Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, and Labrador Koni" left her bewildered.
Putin apparently told the German chancellor, "I don't think the dog will scare you. She won't do anything bad, she likes journalists."
Putin has just caused another dust-up by asking if a new Russian GPS system will be able to track Koni. LOL Here's the story:
From Reuters
Can Russian GPS system track my dog? Putin asks
Russia launches final satellites for its own GPS
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he was keen to use Russia's planned global positioning system GLONASS to look after his black Labrador Koni.
"When can I buy hardware to equip my dog with so that she won't run away too far?" Putin was quoted as asking First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov during a briefing on progress towards developing a competitor to the U.S. GPS system.
Russia is working to expand GLONASS, a system which locates objects on the ground using orbital satellites, and make it available for civilian use. The project is part of the Kremlin's attempts to boost hi-tech sectors of the Russian economy.
"Producers will be able to offer collars for dogs and cats of commercial users in mid-2008," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Ivanov as replying.
(Writing by Oleg Shchedrov; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)
