Maybe they just had some good-smelling treats out for the guests! Whatever else you say about Putin, he seems to be a good dog daddy!

Thanks to Yahoo News for this story.

Russian president’s dog interrupts Putin-Merkel talks

SOCHI, Russia (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin’s dog Koni has made an unusual appearance here during talks between the Russian leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The labrador sauntered into the meeting room in front of reporters at Putin’s residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi and sat at Merkel’s feet, causing the German chancellor apparent discomfort.

Putin patted Koni and pulled the dog away from Merkel, saying: “I don’t think the dog will scare you. She won’t do anything bad, she likes journalists,” Interfax news agency reported Sunday.

“How old is she?” Merkel asked. “Five years old,” Putin, who worked as a KGB agent in former East Germany in the 1980s, responded in German. “That’s not old,” Merkel then said.