Cooper, the conflict-weary family mutt, has a severe case of déjà vu after being reunited with his owners amid escalating regional tensions.
The seven-year-old cocker spaniel had spent more than a week waiting for his paperwork to be completed so he could make his journey to his final destination in Egypt.
He was also evacuated last year by his nervous owners during the earlier conflict scare involving Qatar when its US base was targeted by Iran in response to the bombing of nuclear facilities.
Egyptian Ingy Salem, 47, who left the kingdom permanently on March 6, told the GDN that the family was ‘over the moon’ to finally be reunited with Cooper.
“He has been through a lot with us,” she said. “Last year, when escalations happened in Qatar, we were on a family holiday back in our home country and we couldn’t bear to leave him in Bahrain during an uncertain situation.”
He had been staying in a kennel while the family was away, and Ms Salem said she was able to secure a reliable pet relocation agency that transported Cooper to Egypt in just two days. “Cooper spent a lovely summer with us and later flew back to Bahrain with the family,” Ms Salem explained.
However, transporting him to Egypt this time round proved far more complicated due to the closure of Bahrain’s airspace. Instead of flying directly from the kingdom, many pets, in similar circumstances, have had to depart via Saudi Arabia, creating additional logistical challenges for owners.
“This time, because of the extensive paperwork and the requirements of the country, we had to keep him in Bahrain until everything was finalised,” she said, adding that the process took longer than expected. “However, the most important thing is that he was kept safe and that we were eventually reunited.
“He is a strong boy and has been through more conflicts than most people. Every time he returned to us, he never seemed anxious – he was just happy to be home with his family,” she said.
Ms Salem, who lived in Bahrain with her husband and teenage daughter for four years, said the decision to leave the kingdom did not come lightly. The family had moved last November closer to the US base, where they could clearly hear and feel the recent initial Iranian aggression.
“Last year’s escalations scared us, but we never thought there would be a direct attack on Bahrain,” she said, adding that when the strikes started, Cooper was extremely anxious, adding: “He wouldn’t leave my side and kept sitting in my lap.”
Her husband recently secured a new position in Egypt and the family decided to relocate to Cairo and take their beloved pet with them. “It took so long to complete all of the paperwork. If your pet is vaccinate and has a passport, it should be made easier for people to travel with them,” she said, adding that special considerations should be made during crises.
She also claimed that conflicting information made the process more difficult. “I was told different things by different people. There should be one official channel so people know exactly what the requirements are,” she believes.
Despite the circumstances surrounding their departure, Ms Salem said she still holds Bahrain close to her heart. “It is a very sad situation, and I truly feel for Bahrain,” she said. “It is a beautiful country and I treasured my time there very much.”
The family has now also been reunited with her older daughter, who had been living in Egypt while studying at university.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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