Putin with his Bulgarian puppy Buffy. (AFP)

Moscow, Dec. 10 (Reuters): Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has named his new male puppy Buffy, picking a name suggested by a five-year-old boy in a nationwide competition.

The large, cream and caramel coloured Karakachan pup was given to Putin as a gift by his Bulgarian counterpart in November, after Moscow and Sofia signed a series of natural gas accords.

“I really liked your suggestion,” Putin told Muscovite Dima Sokolov late yesterday.

Though a male puppy, Buffy shares his name with a sexy vampire slayer on the eponymous US television show starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which is broadcast in Russia.

Putin, cast as Russia’s “alpha-dog” ruler in US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, signed a football for the boy.

The Karakachan breed originates in Bulgaria and can grow to 55kg . Traditionally it was used to guard sheep and goat herds.