Yume the Akita dog gifted by Japan to Putin dies

The dog was meant as a companion for Yume (left), given to Putin in 2012 - also pictured: Buffy

TOKYO: If she were alive, the dog, named Yume, would have celebrated her 14th birthday on April 24.

Yume “died of old age last year,” the Russian presidential office said in an answer to an inquiry from The Yomiuri Shimbun without providing the date she died or other details.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pets Yume, an Akita that Akita Prefecture gave to him in 2012, in Moscow in December 2016. - Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun file

The dog was believed to be kept at Putin’s official residence.

The Akita prefectural government presented Yume to Putin in July 2012 as a thank-you for Russia’s support in areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake the previous year.

Yume begs Putin for food in December 2016. - Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun file

In February 2014, the Akita welcomed then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when he attended a summit with Putin in Sochi, Russia.

When The Yomiuri Shimbun made an inquiry in January last year, the presidential office described Yume as “well, mischievous, devoted and keeping the president happy.” - The Yomiuri Shimbun