Nina Pham and the King Charles Spaniel were reunited privately on Saturday

Nina Pham and the King Charles Spaniel were reunited privately on Saturday in a vacant residence where officers once lived at a decommissioned naval air base, where he was quarantined for 21 days. Veterinarians in full personal protective gear checked on him daily.

“I’d like to take a moment to thank people from all around the world who have sent their best wishes and prayers to me and Mr. Bentley,” said Pham, who read a statement at a news conference Saturday. Bentley, whom she called “one of my best friends,” was there on a leash.

Pham was diagnosed with Ebola last month. She contracted the virus while caring for a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died Oct. 8.

Pham recovered and was released Oct. 24 from a Washington, D.C.-area hospital.

Earlier this year, authorities in Madrid, Spain, caused a public uproar when they euthanized a dog belonging to a nursing assistant sickened by Ebola.

“Bentley is alive and well in the city of Dallas,” Mayor Mike Rawlings said, adding that he even kissed the dog Saturday. “There were a lot of human beings that spent a lot of time making sure this dog was safe.”

Rawlings thanked city staff and Texas A&M University veterinarians.

Source AP