Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has assured the puppy, presented to him as a gift by his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov, is on very good terms with his beloved aging black Labrador Connie, who is 11.

"He drags her by the ears and tail non-stop," Putin said of Buffy's affection for Connie as the five-year-old Dima Sokolov, who suggested the name, paid him a visit.

Putin did not hide his soft side and said he really liked Dima's suggestion for the male puppy name – Buffy.

International agencies however have commented that the puppy now shares the same name with a sexy vampire slayer on the eponymous US television show starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which is broadcast in Russia.

The Russian PM received the puppy as a gift from his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov on November 13 2010, when he was on a high-level visit to Bulgaria. Putin's endearing attitude to the little creature quickly became a favorite topic for pundits around the world.

Afterwards, Putin asked all Russians to help him pick a name for the furry creature.

Some of the other names suggested by Russians for the puppy, originally named "Yorgo", included Gazprom, T-Rex, Medved (i.e. bear), Felix (after Felix Dzerzhinsky), Shashlyk (i.e. skewers), Rotschild, Mumu, Belkostrel, Poligraph, Nanotechnology, Sunny Beach (after a Bulgarian sea resort), Nabur (acronym from the Russian words Hope for the Future of Russia), Brin (from Bulgarian-Russian initiatives).

The Bulgarian shepherd dog is an extremely rare breed which originated in Bulgaria as a large, massive mountain livestock guardian dog.