Konni (dog)

Konni, a black Labrador Retriever and whose full name was Connie Paulgrave,[2] was born in 1999.[3] According to Steven Lee Myers, "she was said to be descended from a Labrador once owned by Leonid Brezhnev."[4] She was also to be trained as a search and rescue dog at the Ministry of Emergency Situations near Noginsk,[5] where in 2000, she was presented to Vladimir Putin as a gift by Sergei Shoigu.[6] Putin would teach her "five basic commands: down, heel, sit, go, and bark".[7] Konni would become his favorite pet,[4] serving as what Putin described as a consultant during his own "bad moods".[8] In 2003, Putin's security detail stopped Konni from following him into a meeting with journalists, resulting in her expressing dissatisfaction by barking loudly and refusing several orders by Putin to come to him as the meeting progressed.[9] That same year, shortly before the Russian legislative election, she gave birth to eight puppies,[4] all of which were given away.[10]

Konni with Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, 2003

Konni with José Manuel Barroso, Vladimir Putin, Javier Solana, and Wolfgang Schuessel, 2006

Konni with Merkel and Putin, 2007

George W. Bush recalled his 2006 visit to Novo-Ogaryovo, where Konni charged across the lawn and Putin described her to him as "Bigger, tougher, stronger, faster, meaner—than Barney."[11] While Bush's aides were inclined to dismiss Putin's remark as humorous,[12] Bush himself retold the story to Stephen Harper, who replied, "You're lucky he only showed you his dog."[13] Ian Davis of The Guardian interpreted the remark as Putin's disdain for Barney.[14] In 2007, Angela Merkel had bilateral talks with Putin, accompanied by Konni, at his vacation home in Sochi. Throughout the talks, Konni stayed close to both Putin and Merkel, who reportedly had a fear of dogs. Putin told Merkel, "I hope the dog does not frighten you." However, she appeared to be unsettled by Konni.[15] Later, Putin denied using his dog to intimidate Merkel,[16] while Merkel said of Putin's behaviour: "I understand why he has to do this—to prove he's a man. ... He's afraid of his own weakness. Russia has nothing, no successful politics or economy. All they have is this", referring to Konni.[15]

Konni as Putin's foreign affairs advisor in a Ogoniok-published comic strip

In 2008, Konni was used to test a GLONASS-enabled pet collar,[17] something she felt irritated wearing.[7] She was also, by several commentators, jokingly regarded as Putin's potential successor as president of Russia in that year's election for her frequent appearances alongside him.[6] Konni died in 2014.[2] In addition to being intimidating to some during meetings between Putin and various world leaders, others had seen her as a "humanizing prop" in such functions.[4] She is depicted in Connie's Stories, a 60-page book written by Irina Borisova in English and published by Detskaya Literatura. The book chronicles the life and adventures of Connie, a black Labrador, who at the end is revealed to be Putin's dog. She is also depicted in the Ogoniok publication of a satirical series of comic strips as an advisor to Putin on matters relating to the foreign relations of Russia.[18]

• List of individual dogs
• List of Labrador Retrievers
• Pets of Vladimir Putin

• Bush, George W. (2010). Decision Points. Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-59061-9.
• Hachigian, Nina; Sutphen, Mona (2008). The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-9099-9.
• Myers, Steven Lee (2015). The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-307-96161-7.
• Plamper, Jan (2017). The History of Emotions: An Introduction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-966833-5.
• Roscher, Mieke; Krebber, André; Mizelle, Brett, eds. (2021). Handbook of Historical Animal Studies. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. ISBN 978-3-11-053429-0.
• Taylor, Brian D. (2018). The Code of Putinism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-086731-7.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Konni.

• Putin's Dog (Russian: Собака Путина) comic strip by Ogoniok (in Russian)
• Borisova, Irina (2004). Connie's Stories. Detskaya Literatura. ISBN 978-5-08-004113-6.