Received a Gift During the State Visit to Turk
Central Asian Shepherd Dog... Famous for Loyalty
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are enjoying holding an Alabai, the national dog of Turkmenistan, after a friendly luncheon with former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the country's Supreme Leader and Chairman of the People's Council, and his spouse at a hotel in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the 11th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
The national dog 'Alabai,' gifted to President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee during their recent state visit to Turkmenistan, has arrived in South Korea. This breed is a Central Asian shepherd dog known to grow up to 100 kg, classified as a large breed.
The Presidential Office announced on the 19th that a pair of Alabai dogs, male and female, gifted by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the Supreme Leader of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the People's Council, arrived at Incheon Airport around 9 p.m. the previous night. The two dogs underwent document inspection and clinical tests and were implanted with microchips assigned registration numbers.
President Yoon and his wife received a pair of Alabai, the national dogs of Turkmenistan [Image source=Presidential Office]
Supreme Leader Berdimuhamedow reportedly said he was impressed by the Yoon couple's love for animals when presenting the Alabai dogs. The two are about 40 days old, and their local names correspond to their breed: 'Alabai' (female) and 'Garabash' (male). These names mean 'mixed colors' and 'black head,' respectively. Their Korean names have not yet been decided.
The Alabai is the national dog of Turkmenistan and a widely beloved shepherd dog across Central Asia. Its English name is the 'Central Asian Shepherd Dog.' It is commonly found in neighboring countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan, and is renowned for its high loyalty and bravery.
Historically, these dogs have accompanied Central Asian nomads and were raised as livestock guardian dogs or fighting dogs to protect farmers' valuable animals. Turkmenistan, where the textile industry is well-developed, commemorates the last Sunday of October as 'Alabai Day' and showed deep affection for the breed by erecting a pure gold statue of the Alabai dog in 2020.
The Alabai is a large breed. By about eight months old, their average weight reaches 70 kg, with some growing up to 90?100 kg. Their height at the withers (measured from the ground to the shoulder) reaches 70?80 cm, and their paw size is as large as an adult fist.
Because of this, the Alabai and Garabash will currently live with other pets at the presidential residence but are planned to be relocated to an external facility for separate care in the future.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
