By Waylon Galvez
There’s an old saying that dog is a man’s best friend, but for Rio Olympics silver medal winner Hidilyn Diaz, her dog is more than just a friend.
She considers ‘Hiro,’ a French bulldog, a part of her extended family.
“Very sweet talaga,” said Diaz in a message to Manila Bulletin-Tempo Wednesday.
That’s why the 29-year-old Diaz is still mourning the recent passing of her canine due to kidney failure.
What made Hiro’s death more painful was that she was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia training for Olympic qualifiers.
“Dahil sa pandemic daw walang exercises (kasi) high protein ang pagkain niya. Nagkasakit siya last December pero naging okay naman siya,” said Diaz, who got the dog in early 2018.
When she left for Kuala Lumpur last February to train, some family members and friends took care of Hiro.
“Ang cute pa naman niya. Però ganun e, mahirap tanggapin. Next time ‘frenchie’ pa rin kunin però dapat may mag-alaga talaga (if I am out of the country) Gusto ko ulit ganun.”