Every dog has his day, they say, and the Russian president's dogs got theirs at a recent dog show in Moscow.

Amongst 12,000 furry competitors at the Eurasia-2009 dog show, the president’s two English setters, Joly and Daniel, got first place in their individual classes, while his golden retriever, Aldu, received a silver medal at the Eurasia-2009 dog show.

Did a little bit of favoritism help the president’s dogs take the top prizes? One young woman, Olga, a math student at the Moscow State University, said that the president’s dogs deserved their trophies.

“I understand that some people may think that the president’s dogs only won because of their master, but his dogs really performed well. And they are beautiful.”

Rumors were rife at the show that Medvedev would make an appearance to watch his dogs perform, but apparently his busy schedule prevented him from attending.

Eurasia-2009 spokesperson Yulia Krivich said that “it was a first visit for the pets of Russia’s top official.”