Buffy, the Bulgarian shepherd puppy that Russian President Vladimir Putin received as a gift back in 2010, has grown up to be a rather massive dog, fresh photos have revealed.

Photos released by RIA Novosti on Wednesday show Putin playing with Buffy and his Japanese Akita dog, Yume, on a snowy day outside the President’s Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

The photos were taken on March 24.

Buffy was presented to Putin by former Bulgarian PM Borisov during the former's visit to Bulgaria in mid-November 2010 to negotiate important energy matters. The young creature of the Bulgarian shepherd breed swiftly became a media hit all over the globe, what with Vladimir Putin's unaffected tenderness shown toward his present.

Yume was the Akita prefecture’s gift to show gratitude for Russia’s assistance after 2011’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The Russian President also has a Labrador named Koni.

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