A few days ago a touching series of scenes was shared on the Irish president’s Instagram page – the dog-loving man was also bid farewell on his last presidential day by a few representatives of his favourite breed.

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Michael D. Higgins was the 9th president of the Republic of Ireland. He was first elected in 2011, following this he filled the position for 14 years, at the side of his wife Sabina Higgins (née Sabina Coyne, Irish actress) and his loyal Bernese mountain dogs. Many bade the man farewell, among them a team of dogs as well, who with their cheerfulness and their kind of doggy nature most certainly gilded the former president’s last day at Áras an Uachtaráin.

It Goes Back a Long Way, the Relationship of the Former President and the Bernese Mountain Dogs

Michael D. Higgins allegedly has maintained a close relationship with the breed for several decades now, yet in 2011 several four-legged ones also moved together with him into the Dublin presidential residence. According to most sources a little dog named Shadow was the first who, accompanying the man, set their paw into Áras an Uachtaráin – they were followed by Síoda and Bród, the iconic duo, who stood almost always at the ready to receive their owner’s influential guests.

Whether it was about members of the English royal family, or just European leaders, it is almost certain that the two dogs greeted them with great enthusiasm and with even greater smiles, following this they then collected the well-deserved stroking. Where and to whom the former president said the following sentence would already be difficult to determine, yet at one time the following sentence was often quoted from him:

Dogs are not merely ice-breakers, but also wonderful sources of wisdom.

And how true! Our four-legged companions often prove to be better judges of character than everyone else. Sadly, by now Síoda and Bród have also passed away, yet the then presidential residence did not remain without dogs.

The dogs also met members of the English ruling family – in the picture, if all is true, Bród can be seen, Síoda was not there when the photo was taken because of a paw injury

Courage for Uncertain Times

After the death of his beloved dog, Síoda, in 2021 the former president took in another family member, to whom he gave the name Misneach. This is an Irish expression, the meaning of which is courage, inner strength. It was not by chance that the new puppy received this sonorous and meaningful name, since in this period the coronavirus pandemic was still raging in full force, which placed the world before successive challenges. This difficult period brought numerous such changes to which one had to adapt, which demanded sacrifices, not even mentioning the losses. In a word, after COVID-19 had grown into a global pandemic, everyone needed inner strength – thus perhaps the dog could not have received a more fitting name.

Misneach already from the very beginning stole their way into the heart of the public with their cheerful and carefree presence, yet during an interview they gained real international fame. After its publication the video made the rounds of numerous news portals, thus the loving relationship between the then Irish president and their dog became world-famous in moments.

Honestly speaking this is no wonder, since the series of scenes is quite enchanting, which we will now also recall:

Why Exactly the Bernese Mountain Dogs?

It is relatively rare among “hobby dog keepers” that someone should so faithfully stick to one breed (although in the neighbourhood of Ireland there had already earlier been an example for this – even an animated film was made about Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with corgis), yet it is undeniable that the Bernese mountain dog with one of their traits (or their traits) won the man’s heart. The breed is famous for its calm and friendly nature, their loyalty and easy temperament, thus these almost certainly contribute to that even after years this breed is the choice.

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