Akita Dog Given to Putin ‘In Good Health,’ Russia Says; Sent to Moscow As Thanks for Support After 2011 Earthquake

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:40 JST, January 19, 2025

The Akita dog given to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2012 by the Akita prefectural government is alive and well, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Now 12 years old, Yume was presented to Putin as a thank-you for Russia’s support of areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. A spokesperson for the Russian presidential office responded in writing to an inquiry about her welfare, saying that Yume is well, mischievous and devoted, and keeps President Putin happy at his official residence.

In return for the gift of Yume, Putin gave Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake a Siberian cat named Mir in 2013. Mir died of illness on Dec. 3, which raised concerns about how Yume has been.

Yume appeared with Putin in December 2016 when Nippon TV and The Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed him at the presidential office in Moscow. No photos or other information have been released since then.