I’ve been walking so much during the lockdown, both in my neighborhood and at local parks. One of my biggest lockdown enjoyments has been seeing all of the local dogs. I live in a suburban area where people have a lot of pets, and I’ve loved seeing all of different varieties and cuteness levels. I haven’t seen many big dogs, which bums me out because big dogs need love too. There’s been a real move towards people adopting pets over the past two months. People decided, en masse around the world, that if they were going to be stuck at home, they needed someone furry to hang out with. My cats have been such a big comfort to me, but I’ve also been thinking about getting a dog. Ugh, should I? I still can’t decide.
Turns out, Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel also decided that this would be the perfect moment to introduce a family pet into their home. They already had two growing children, Princess Estelle (8 years old) and Oscar (4 years old). Now they have a puppy they’ve named Rio. Rio is a “Cavapoo,” meaning a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel-poodle mix. I love Cavalier Kings, they’re such beautiful dogs with sweet little faces. Rio has more of a poodle face though, and I don’t see much Cavalier King in him.
Meanwhile, Sweden has become a coronavirus-reaction test case for the world. While Sweden’s Scandinavian and European neighbors were ordering mass lockdowns and closing all but essential businesses, large swaths of Sweden stayed open throughout the past two months. As such, Sweden has a higher death rate and infection rate than its closest neighbors, and the infection rate among seniors is especially troubling. And yet… approval of Sweden’s anti-lockdown policies are widely popular within the country. The Washington Post had an op-ed questioning if this internal popularity was some kind of macabre nationalism. While “royalty” isn’t the most important thing to focus on during a pandemic, I do wonder if the long-term effects of the pandemic will fundamentally change how many European royal houses operate.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instagram.
