--- title: Spare Ebola Patient's Dog: Animal Rights Activists Protest description: Animal lovers have protested, tweeted and petitioned to stop Spanish officials from euthanizing an Ebola patient's dog. canonical: https://time.com/3481908/ebola-dog-euthanize-excalibur/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-08T17:18:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:39:35.238Z article:section: Health og:title: Spare Ebola Patient's Dog: Animal Rights Activists Protest og:description: "Excalibur" is at the mercy of Spanish officials og:url: https://time.com/3481908/ebola-dog-euthanize-excalibur/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf1e05107a48045/69875f44cd1bba35186f27b1/456838772.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Spanish Nurse Tests Positive For Ebola og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Spare Ebola Patient's Dog: Animal Rights Activists Protest twitter:description: "Excalibur" is at the mercy of Spanish officials twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf1e05107a48045/69875f44cd1bba35186f27b1/456838772.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 360,000 Sign Petition to Spare Ebola Patient's Dog  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Oct 8, 2014 5:18 PM CUT  'Excalibur' barks from the balcony of the private residence for the Spanish nurse who has tested positive for the Ebola virus on October 8, 2014 in Alcorcon, Spain. 'Excalibur' barks from the balcony of the private residence for the Spanish nurse who has tested positive for the Ebola virus on October 8, 2014 in Alcorcon, Spain.Pablo Blazquez Dominguez—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Oct 8, 2014 5:18 PM CUT Animal lovers have protested, tweeted and petitioned by the tens of thousands to stop Spanish officials from euthanizing an Ebola patient’s dog. The outcry began shortly after the patient’s husband, Javier Limon, posted a YouTube [plea](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP5XasbimAo "undefined") to animal lovers to help spare the life of “Excalibur”. NBC News [reports](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/save-excalibur-pet-lovers-unite-protect-ebola-patients-dog-n220846 "undefined") that Limon has been placed in isolation in a Madrid hospital ever since his wife, nurse-aide Teresa Romero Ramos, became the first person to contract the virus outside of west Africa while caring for a Spanish priest who had returned from the region. Limon said in the recorded appeal, “I’m in the hospital and I’m sending a call to all the population for them to help me save my dog, Excalibur, who they just want to kill just like that without following any proper procedures.” There have been [no documented cases](http://time.com/3480961/ebola-animals-transmission/ "undefined") of dogs spreading Ebola to humans, or vice-versa, though other animals [may become carriers](http://time.com/3480961/ebola-animals-transmission/ "undefined"). Animal lovers protested outside the couple’s apartment in a southern suburb of Madrid on Wednesday, where Excalibur had been holed up alone with a bathtub full of drinking water and 33 pounds of dog food, Limon told Spanish daily _El Mundo_. “Murderer,” several shouted at health workers who had arrived to disinfect the apartment. Protesters also launched a petition to spare Excalibur which has gathered more than 360,000 signatures to date and flooded Twitter with pictures of their own pet dogs signs reading, “#SalvemosaExcalibur.” The campaign has intensified amid conflicting [reports](http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2014/10/08/5434f0eee2704e173e8b456f.html?cid=SMBOSO25301&s%5Fkw=twitterCM "undefined") of the dog’s fate in local media, best summed up by the _El Mundo_ [headline](http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2014/10/08/5434f0eee2704e173e8b456f.html?cid=SMBOSO25301&s%5Fkw=twitterCM "undefined") “¿Dónde está Excalibur?” The most recent update [posted](https://www.facebook.com/PrayForExcalibur "undefined") by Limon on Facebook says the dog has not yet been taken away by authorities. > [](https://twitter.com/MelanieMonteiro/status/519881373348151296) > [](https://twitter.com/nicky4maal4/status/519786110885834752) > [](https://twitter.com/NoelleInMadrid/status/519764971639422977) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3481908/ebola-dog-euthanize-excalibur/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3481908/ebola-dog-euthanize-excalibur/"},"headline":"360,000 Sign Petition to Spare Ebola Patient's Dog","datePublished":"2014-10-08T17:18:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:39:35.238Z","description":"\"Excalibur\" is at the mercy of Spanish officials, who want to euthanize the dog after one of its owners contracted the disease","url":"https://time.com/3481908/ebola-dog-euthanize-excalibur/","keywords":["ebola","Animal Rights","Spain","Infectious Disease"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf1e05107a48045/69875f44cd1bba35186f27b1/456838772.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9bf1e05107a48045/69875f44cd1bba35186f27b1/456838772.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Spanish Nurse Tests Positive For Ebola","caption":"Spanish Nurse Tests Positive For Ebola","creditText":"Pablo Blazquez Dominguez—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/ebola/","name":"ebola"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3481908/ebola-dog-euthanize-excalibur/","name":"360,000 Sign Petition to Spare Ebola Patient's Dog"}}]}] ```