Ginormous Alabay Twinkles over Ashkabat Inspiring Poetry, Song

They really like the Central Asian shepherd dog, also known as the Alabay, in Turkmenistan. A new law recently took effect that restricts export of the beloved native breed and requires puppies to be registered in the government’s pedigree book.

Alabay owners who wish to take their dogs outside the country will need a separate passport for the pooch that details the usual info – date of birth, sex, color (as well as details about the owner).

The previous president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, really had a thing for Alabays. Last year he established a holiday to honor the dog (the last Sunday of April), and in 2020 the president unveiled a ginormous gilded statue of the dog in the Turkmen capital. By then, Berdymukhamedov had  published a book and written a song about the Alabay. The dog has featured on many postage stamps. In 2017 Berdymukhamedov gave his buddy Vladimir Putin an Alabay puppy.

The Berdymukhamedov presidency – a fifteen-year reign that ended this year in March – was widely criticized as a totalitarian personality cult, rife with corruption. But at least we can expect the Alabay love to continue with the current regime because it is headed by Berdymukhamedov’s son, Serdar, who also happens to be the head of the International Association of Turkmen Alabays.

The Alabay is a big, strong dog that can weigh up to 175 pounds. Denmark will have no problem with the strict export law, since it already bans the import of Alabays, considering the dog dangerous.

Animal Watch has an informative video here: youtube.com/watch?v=1_hJZ6ydLm8.

Photo credit: Turkmenportal