Turkmenistan's president dedicates giant golden statue to his favourite dog breed
- President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov unveiled the gold plated statue of his favourite dog breed on Tuesday, November 10
- The statue also has a screen wrapped around the pedestal showing the alabai dogs
- The head of state has another statue of him seated on a racehorse which is also coated in gold
- Dogs and horses are said to be sources of national pride in Turkmenistan
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Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's love for Alabay sheepdog has seen him unveil a huge statue of a dog covered with a thin layer of gold in the country's capital.
Source: Getty Images
The statute which stands at 19ft is also reported to have a screen wrapped around the pedestal which shows the alabai dogs in action at different occasions.
The statue was unveiled on Tuesday, November 10.
The head of state, The Guardian reported, has also written an ode to the dog breed and gave one of them to Russia's President Vladimir Putin in 2017.
During the unveiling, a young boy is reported to have been handed an Alabay dog, which is officially listed as an asset of the country's national heritage along with the handmade carpets.
The statute joins another one of Berdymukhamedov seated on a horse which is also coated in gold at a different junction in Ashgabat.
Dogs and horses are said to be sources on national pride in the Central Asian country where they are widely used by the many traditional herders.
Berdymukhamedov has in the past praised the dog breed which is also known as central Asian Shepherd dog as an example of national heritage.
Source: Getty Images
He is also reported to have written a book about the dogs.
The large, stock breed is known for its prowess in protecting sheep and goats from wolves.
They are also used to guard homes and during dog fights which is a popular form of entertainment.
In a related dog story reported by YEN.com.gh, a six-month-old French bulldog, Wilbur, was elected the mayor of Rabbit Hash, a Kentucky village in the recently concluded elections in the United States of America.
Amy Noland, its owner, said the community has never had an actual person or human as their mayor, adding that the tradition to elect animals started in the late 1990s.
It should be noted that the town has a population of fewer than 500 people and is highly regarded as a historic place because of its antique general store built in 1831.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
