The Russian president denied using his pet labrador to intimidate the former German chancellor Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Angela Merkel for bringing his pet dog to their meeting 17 years ago, dismissing the former German chancellor’s claims that he wanted to make her feel uncomfortable on purpose. Black labrador Koni briefly joined Putin and Merkel during their meeting in Sochi, Russia in 2007. Merkel, who is afraid of dogs after being reportedly bitten by one in 1995,