In an interview with France’s Le Monde newspaper, a survivor of the harrowing shootings at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo revealed that their office dog Lila witnessed and survived the disturbing attack.
Crime reporter Sigolène Vinson said that the darling Cocker Spaniel had greeted the journalists and cartoonists she loved to spend time with as they arrived at the Parisian office after the holidays. Vinson added that hearing Lila running from room to room during the terrorist attack helped her calm down. However, she was aware that the poor dog was stricken with grief as she sadly went from body to body in the offices.
One of the shooters told Vinson he would spare her life because she was a woman and she hid behind one of the walls until she was sure they left the building.
“As I lay there, not sure if they were really gone, shots rang out in the distance, in the street. And then I heard Lila with her tiny steps.”
In Wednesday’s edition of the magazine, Vinson dedicated an ode to brave Lila.
“At Charlie Hebdo, we have a dog, a red Cocker Spaniel who signals to us that it’s OK, that we can get up now, that (the terrorists) have gone.”
The pooch has also become Charlie Hebdo’s official mascot and the surviving staff members find a lot of comfort in having her around the office.
