on hand 再び
秋田県の佐竹敬久知事は東日本大震災後のロシアの支援への感謝を表すため、愛犬家として知られるプーチン氏に秋田犬の雌の子犬 ゆめを贈呈しました。大統領は返礼として同知事に「シベリア猫」を贈る意向だそうです。
on handは以前にも扱いましたが（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20111231/1325341528），ここは「待機して，常住して」という意味です。（GP）
Puppy for Putin flies business class
Kyodo
AKITA — An Akita dog intended as a present from the Akita Prefectural Government to Russian President Vladimir Putin was upgraded to business class from the cargo hold on its flight to Moscow and received VIP treatment when it arrived, officials said Saturday.
The 3-month-old puppy, named Yume, was initially scheduled to travel in cargo, but Aeroflot Russian Airlines decided to move it to the business class cabin, the officials said.
The dog was kept in a cage close to a prefectural official. During the roughly 10-hour flight from Narita International Airport, Yume never barked and was received warmly by other passengers, according to the officials.
After arriving at Sheremetyevo International Airport, about 30 km from central Moscow, the puppy was passed on to an employee of the presidential office at around 6 p.m. Friday before heading to Putin's official residence, where presidential security officials were on hand.
"We hope (Yume) will help in deepening mutual understanding and developing relations between Japan and Russia," Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake said in a statement.
