While nothing could replace her beloved 12-year-old dog Excalibur, Ebola survivor Teresa Romero Ramos has adopted a new four-legged family member.
When Ramos, a nursing aide in Madrid, was diagnosed with Ebola last October, people around the world were outraged when Spanish officials decided to euthanize Excalibur rather than quarantine him. Although there have been no documented cases of dogs with Ebola transmitting it to people, authorities from Madrid’s regional government stated at the time that “available scientific knowledge indicates there’s a risk the dog could transmit the deadly virus to humans.”
Ramos recovered from the disease, but was heartbroken over the loss of the dog she and her husband, Javier Limon, had raised since he was a puppy. Limon referred to Excalibur as the son they never had.
Yesterday the couple opened their hearts and home to Alma, a 6-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier puppy they adopted from the Centro Integral de Protección Animal (CIPA) de Alcorcón rescue center.
Limon told ABC.es they decided to adopt the pup from CIPA as a way to make society aware there are many abandoned animals that need homes.
“DIVA AHORA ALMA ADOPTADAAAAA,” CIPA wrote on its Facebook page Saturday (which loosely translates to “Soul diva now adoptadaaaaa,” LOL). It added, in Spanish, “This gorgeous dog has found a home. Thank you, Teresa and Javier, for adopting her.”
Shortly after Excalibur was euthanized, Dallas nurse Nina Pham was diagnosed with Ebola. Mayor Mike Rawlings quickly assured the public that Bentley, Pham’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, would not suffer the same fate as Excalibur. After being quarantined, Bentley was found to be free of the disease. Pham recovered and was happily reunited with her dog after she was released from a hospital.
In November, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) released new guidelines on treating the pets of people exposed to Ebola. The AVMA recommends that the pet be quarantined for 21 days or have someone else care for him during that period.