A very good boy: Turkmenistan unveils six-meter-tall golden statue of president’s favorite dog breed

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has unveiled a giant statue of a dog in the center of Ashgabat, the country’s capital. The gilded monument is dedicated to the Alabai, a popular breed in the Central Asian country.

Six meters tall on a nine-meter-high plinth, the canine statue is in the middle of a busy roundabout, surrounded by a brand new housing development.

According to the Turkmen government, “the sculpture looks very majestic,” depicting the “dignity and self-assuredness” of the Alabai breed. The statue “is clearly visible from all sides and visible from a distance,” the statement says.

On the plinth of the pedestal is a video screen, showing footage of Alabai dogs.

The decision to put up the monument was made by Berdymukhamedov himself; in 2019, he personally told officials what it should look like.

“Head, four legs, and definitely a tail! Write it down, write it down!” the president said. 

Berdymukhamedov’s love of dogs is well-known, and in 2017 he famously gifted an Alabai puppy to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his 65th birthday. Two years later, he gave the same present to then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. 

Like this story? Share it with a friend!