Dog Playmate to ‘Excalibur’ the Ebola Dog Surrendered by Owners

The world watched in shock and despair as Spanish officials seized and euthanized 12-year old Excalibur, the pet dog of a Madrid, Spain nurse who had contracted the Ebola virus, out of fear that the dog could spread the disease.

Now, out of fears that their dog, too, could be carrying the virus, Tronco, a dog that frequently played with Excalibur, has been surrendered by his family.

Luckily, according to Express U.K., a Spanish animal advocacy organization has stepped forward to care for the dog while monitoring him for any signs of the virus. The Escuela Canina Esga organization agreed to keep Tronco alive and in quarantine until someone willing to accept any possible risk would step forward and adopt him.

“We did everything we could to reassure them that it was probably okay but of course we couldn’t guarantee that the animal didn’t have Ebola, and so they were adamant that they didn’t want him any longer,” explained Esga Juan Esteban, the manager of the animal organization.

Tronco’s previous family included small children and, while they loved and cared for their dog, they were not willing to take any risks to their childrens’ lives.

The Escuela Canina Esga organization were very careful to take possession of Tronco quietly, without alerting press or the community in an effort to avoid Tronco facing the same fate as Excalibur.

“It was like something out of 007 movie when we brought him here, we tried to make sure that we prevented a big fuss about what was happening.

“Even the pictures that we showed of Tronco were taken when he was just 2 months old to make sure nobody can identify him when he’s taken for a walk in the park by his new owner.”

Although the CDC famously reported that dogs, though asymptomatic, can be carriers of the virus and spread it through licking, grooming, and biting, they have also stated that the likelihood of contracting Ebola from a dog is very slim. Not a single case of Ebola has ever been linked to a dog.