Our Lockdown Buddy Spirou

 

• Still under lockdown in a foreign country, there is much for which we can be thankful, including our health, our family, stable employment and education.
• This year, we also get to be thankful for Spirou, a nine-year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who spent over seven months of the year with us as a COVID refugee.
• Spirou's parents were evacuated in the spring, but airlines would not allow pets on board and with the constant summer heat, they would not take the risk.
• So we had an elderly lapdog for seven months who quickly became part of the family.
• He was also a boon to us during lockdowns, reducing our overall stress while giving us moments of levity and mirth.
  
• He required two daily walks, which forced us to get up and out of the house.
  
• The last point is crucial: we always knew what time it was, even if we did not always know what day it was.
• We also made fast friends with Israelis and Palestinians alike, including the local dog owner community.
  
• His owners are francophone, so in addition to learning commands, our household usage of French has skyrocketed.
• Alas with the fall upon us, he finally got to go home via cargo to be reunited with his owners.