# I felt very sorry yesterday for this dog owner at Eurotunnel



## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

We followed a guy in his 40's into the Pet Reception centre yesterday in Calais. He was travelling alone and had a very affectionate Spaniel with him but things didn't go well from the beginning. The first chip scan showed a different chip number to that on the passport so he had another go which showed another number. The lady behind the counter said the dog must have been chipped twice but he said not. Anyway the second chip matched the passport. Then he didn't know his Tunnel booking number nor could find a copy of his booking. The lady then asked him for his car reg number which he was able to look outside and read off. But then the real problem - the rabies booster had run out a few weeks ago.

He was (understandably) told he couldn't travel with the dog and that he would have to take her to a local vet to have the booster and then for her to wait 21 days in kennels before she could enter the UK. The owner was unsurprisingly distraught - he said he had to get back for today for work and whilst appearances can be deceptive, I'm not sure that 3 week's of kennel fees and an additional tunnel crossing would have been that welcome.

Mrs P and I are still saying "poor man" and "poor dog" and I had some trepidation as I presented our pet passports afterwards but fortunately all OK. However to rationalise it, many thousands of would be travellers turn up at airports every year with out of date passports - it's just lucky for them they don't have to go into kennels for three weeks!


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Sad. I'd be staying with my dog but then I'm lucky enough to be able to. Our dogs are part of the family. I"d no sooner leave a child behind.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

We said that we would have done the same - stayed there until we could have returned with the dog. I speculated that if it had happened to us then I could have travelled back on the train or ferry as a foot passenger and returned in the car and smuggled the dog back in but Mrs P told me otherwise!


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Sadly that has never happened to us

The H from H is glued firmly to our side

I think I might also leave a child or two behind given the chance

But so far chance has alluded us 

Sandra


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

The guy looked totally destroyed when he realised what he was being told. We just felt so sorry for him.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I'm joking

As you know I'd never leave the H from H anywhere 

He is a pain but we are responsible for him, we chose that when we bought a 7 week puppy

However is there a chance that we could leave the odd grandchild or two?.>>

Sandra:wink2:


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Prior to ANY continental trip Mrs P and I have a simple philosophy in respect of paperwork.

Check, check and check again. Then do it again the next day. Tedious but very effective. It proved its worth when our booked (outbound) ferry was actually for a day EARLIER than we thought/had planned for :surprise::surprise: Rapid change of plans then ensued.

Andy


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## HurricaneSmith (Jul 13, 2007)

I can understand the owner's shock.

We presented our Westie some time ago and were told we couldn't travel. The French vet had provided the three dated passport stamps, but on one of them had transposed two numbers, suggesting he had dated it in the future.

It was obvious to anyone what had happened, but they correctly declined us. I quickly sorted it, and we caught a later train.

It was my fault for not checking what the professional had done ......... and I've never made that mistake again.




.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I once turned up with the family for a flight from Gatwick and it transpired that I had managed to miss buying a ticket for our youngest child! I thought I had done quite well remembering the other three children but wife thought otherwise! Fortunately I was able to buy a ticket at the airport!


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I think that happened to Mees with her dog, the rabies vaccine ran out

Unfortunately it was when it was a six month wait not three weeks later as now

Can't remember how she sorted it 

Sandra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Our old rescue dog had two microchips. Did not know until we were at the Eurotunnel. Heart flipped a bit I can tell you when they said it did not match his passport. They passed us the scanner and the new one was found  Must happen regularly as they did not seem phased.
Not sure now but at one time there were different chips picked up by different scanners. Our dog should have been scanned by the vet before being chipped. Particularly because he had been a rescue.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

*Who let the dog out?*

*Catch me if you can at the Eurotunnel Terminal ......*

*For best quality picture click on the 'COG' at bottom right of video and select 720HD*

*



*


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## delawaredandy (Oct 12, 2012)

It's sad that a poor dog who as probably been well looked after and is healthy is refused entry back to it's native soil, and yet we let any disease ridden human with no back ground in with no thought about the consequences.

M


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

Sandra is quite right some eight years ago we had lots of family problems before we set off on a two week trip to Italy leading to me failing to check our Dalmations passport.
On arrival at Dunkirt we realised his rabis vaccination was out of date by two weeks .
He was stuck in Europe for six months.
The vet in Dunkirk after berating our stupidity got him in to kennels - they were superb 10 euros a night!
We had to cone home, sort out our affairs and go back an to to Dunkitk ( from the Northfields England')
Two weeks in Flanders then two weeks in uk until Sept when we were both able to quit our work commitments. 
We then travelled with him round France,Portugal and Spain until able to return on 6 th December!
He was well looked after in kennels and lost weight becoming the perfect Dalmations shape.
He did not appear to be traumatised but we were! The trips up and down the country wern much fun either.
It never happened again !!!!


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

My wife is paranoid, we have our own scanner, and never leave the vets until she has leafed through the passport twice. :smile2:


tony


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

delawaredandy said:


> It's sad that a poor dog who as probably been well looked after and is healthy is refused entry back to it's native soil, and yet we let any disease ridden human with no back ground in with no thought about the consequences.
> 
> M


 Then there is the question of smuggled dogs. There is a huge trade in puppy farmed pups coming into the uk. They often lie about the pups' ages to get them a passport (if they bother at all). This means the maternal immunity still in the pup's system fights off the vaccine and you effectively have an unvaccinated pup. Or rather thousands of them all entering the country.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Your wife is wise to be paranoid Tony. Once while checking our dogs in for the tunnel they had a debate about whether to let them travel because they said that the Spanish vet who'd vaccinated them most recently had used the wrong colour of ink when stamping the passport. I can't remember the detail but I think it had been done in black ink and they said it should have been blue because it's more difficult to forge. Jobs worth stuff I thought but they meant it, luckily after some discussion they decided it would be OK but that we should have the vet concerned correct it at the first opportunity.

Another time the vet had dated the rabies jab incorrectly so that it seemed as though it had been administered after the due date. Mrs Eb noticed that before we left the vets and got it changed. That could well have been a problem.

And once when coming from France back to England we couldn't get their scanner to find the chip in one of the dogs necks. We tried repeatedly as the French official became more and more impatient and began suggesting that there mustn't be a chip. I assured him that there was and eventually it occurred to me to ask if they had another scanner. He said they did but that one scanner was the same as another. Eventually he gave in and went to get another scanner which found the chip immediately.

There are plenty of opportunities to fall foul of the regulations and the officials involved when travelling with dogs. Paranoia is good.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

The vet's stamp must be in any colour except black. As you surmised it is to prevent forgery. All vet's are made aware of this when they get their licence to issue passports etc. They don't always remember though


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

What a useful thread to remind all of us with pets to check, check and check again even before going away as the Vet may have made a mistake - most of us would probably overlook the colour of ink or similar....

So thanks, and yes I would have been very unhappy and probably suffering from too much "tongue pie" if it was my fault.... but then everything *is* my fault, so end of discussion....

Like others I hope it could be easily sorted, but have my doubts about that and scanner failure MUST be something that occurs - the officials should be aware that batteries do go flat - even rechargeables if someone "forgot" to put it back or it is just too old....

Dave


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Well we had no excuse to leave the H from H behind

Everything in order 

He stinks and needs booking in for a bath and groom

And they will say he is so lovely 

Fortunately they are not the postman 

Who is protected by double gates


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