A WOMAN who rescued a dog from war-torn Ukraine says she was ‘horrified’ when it was seized by officials.
Sarah-Louise Heslop was shocked when Bailey was suddenly taken into quarantine.
The little dog now faces four months in a kennel in Berkshire and she has been told he will be put down if she can’t raise £3,000 to foot the bill.
Officials were sent to her home in Wilmslow on behalf of the Department for Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Defra).
“I couldn’t believe it was happening,” said Sarah-Louise, 49, who cares for her mum.
“It was quite horrific. I am being told to pay all his quarantine costs or he will be destroyed.”
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Bailey, who is two, was one of around 24 dogs rescued through an animal charity.
“When I saw his sad eyes I felt compelled to adopt him,” said Sarah-Louise, a marketing manager, who paid a £550 adoption fee to bring him to the UK.
“He was living in Lviv which was under heavy fire and I knew what danger the dogs were facing.
“Prior to his rescue, he was chained up outside in the freezing cold and fed scraps.”
After Bailey completed a gruelling 50-hour journey, Sarah-Jane collected him from Paw Help UK in Staffordshire on March 20.
“I brought him home and he was settling in really nicely,” she said. “He is very timid but likes lots of affection.
“He was licking my hand and following me around everywhere. He just wanted to stay close to me.”
Bailey had rabies vaccinations in October 2021 but a blood test is required to prove they have been done. Defra discovered that the blood test results had been fraudulent.
“The rescue charity wasn’t able to use the normal Ukrainian labs because of the war,” said Sarah-Louise.
“Vets recommended a lab in Germany. They took the animal rescue’s money but gave fake results and can no longer be contacted.
“I was given the ‘choice’ of agreeing to pay for Bailey’s quarantine, vets’ bills and transport or he would be destroyed.”
The bills are estimated to be £3,000 per dog for their care.
“I feel terrible that Bailey could lose that trust I was starting to build with him,” said Sarah-Louise.
“All the dog owners are devastated at their dogs being taken away, many have young children who had their beloved new dogs and puppies removed from their homes.
“They are in stark kennels and can’t be walked or play together.
“Bailey has been through such a traumatic time already, a difficult life in Ukraine in a war zone and lots of stressful experiences.
“I am not able to visit him as I am caring for my mum and can’t leave her.”
Sarah-Louise has launched a fundraising campaign to bring Bailey home and is appealing to Defra to relax the quarantine rules.
“I know it is very important to protect our country from rabies but I don’t understand why our dogs are being treated differently because they were brought to the UK by a rescue,” said Sarah-Louise.
Defra has introduced a streamlined system for Ukrainian refugees who are bringing pets with them to the UK which does not require them to pay for quarantine.
“We would ask that Ukraine be treated the same as Russia and Belarus which share a physical border,” she said.
“They only have a three week quarantine. Four months is unnecessary.”
UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Checks have confirmed that these animals did not receive the required blood tests to ensure they were healthy 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 really grateful for the cooperation of the households involved, this helps protect all our own UK pets. I encourage the public to contact us with any information they may have.
“Animals without the correct vaccinations and confirmatory tests 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.”
To donate visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpbaileyukraine
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