A woman who rescued her dog from Ukraine says the pooch has been seized by officials. Sarah-Louise Heslop brought her dog Bailey over from the heavily-bombed city of Lviv through Staffordshire-based animal charity Paws Help UK.
Sarah-Louise got him home on March 20 and while he was timid, over the next week he was getting used to his new surroundings. However, just as he was beginning to settle, there was a knock on the door.
The marketing manager, 49, says officials sent on behalf of the Department for Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) were at her doorstep explaining they needed to seize Bailey. Talking to Cheshire Live, she shared that the officials said they had to take him into quarantine.
She also says she was told that she would need to pay for his kennelling and vet treatment, otherwise he could be destroyed. Sarah-Louise is now looking to raise around £3,000 towards bringing Bailey home.
Sarah-Louise said: "Defra has relaxed the rules for refugees' dogs - which is great - and said they have to quarantine for three weeks in their new homes, and that the costs would be covered. But they've not made the exception for our dogs, which came over with a rescue organisation."
On March 26, the officials turned up. According to Sarah-Louise, she was told that the results of rabies tests that were conducted in Germany were "fraudulent", and so were not valid. She said she was then told that if all the costs of his quarantine, vets' bills and transportation could not be covered, Bailey would have to be destroyed.
Particularly worrying for Sarah-Louise is that the dogs - having travelled so far from Ukraine to their new homes - are now being boarded in various places around the country. Bailey is in Berkshire, but she said she knows of one dog that was taken all the way from the Shetland Islands to Southampton.
She estimates Bailey, a cross breed, is between two and three years old, but some of the other dogs are just puppies. She added: "They're going to be missing all that time that they should be getting trained and socialised."
Paws Help UK has said that it had no idea that the tests that were done in Germany were not legitimate, and its founder Elina Oliferuk said if it had known the paperwork was not valid, the charity wouldn't have placed the dogs with their new owners.
Christine MiddleMiss, UK Chief Veterinary Officer said: "Checks have confirmed that these animals did not receive the necessary blood tests to enter the UK. We are taking quick action to limit the risk of disease spreading by quarantining all animals involved in this case until further notice.
"We are grateful for the cooperation of the households involved and would encourage the public to contact us with any information they may have. Animals without the correct vaccinations pose a real disease threat to both our own beloved animals and to people whilst also impacting the rabies-free status we have held for many years."
You can support the fundraising effort here
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