Mayor: Dog belonging to Texas Ebola patient will not be euthanized

The dog of a Dallas health care worker who tested positive for Ebola will not be euthanized, Mayor Mike Rawlings announced Sunday.

Rawlings told USA Today the dog is still inside the woman's apartment, but would soon be moved to a different location to wait for his owner to recover. "This was a new twist," he said. "The dog's very important to the patient and we want it to be safe." The apartment will be decontaminated, and a member of the cleaning crew wearing protective gear will assist SPCA and animal control officers to get the dog out.

Spain handled the same situation differently last week when, despite outcry from the public, the dog of a nursing assistant being treated for Ebola was put down. Although there are no documented cases of a dog passing Ebola to a person, Spanish officials said the dog was euthanized because of the risk it could transmit the virus.

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