(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 11, 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin kisses a Turkmen shepherd dog, locally known as Alabai, received by Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during a meeting in Sochi. - Turkmenistan's hardline leader has recognised his son as an "honoured dog breeder of Turkmenistan", state media reported April 22, 2021, as speculation grows over a potential hereditary succession in the secretive Central Asian state. Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's 39-year-old son Serdar Berdymukhamedov dominated the news April 21, evening for the first time as media showed him opening a state building housing associations that he heads promoting Turkmenistan's national dog and horse breeds. (Photo by MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL / AFP)