Thursday 17 May 2007

European Passport


The other day Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese manager of Chelsea was arrested and cautioned by police over a row about his dog. A spokesman for Mourinho said: "The incident occurred because of a misunderstanding over documents required for veterinary regulations”.
Mr Mourinho is believed to have refused to allow the police to take the Yorkshire terrier.
Scotland Yard, which stressed that the operation was led by the Animal Health and Welfare Service, confirmed the dog was to be seized under the Animal Health Act of 1981 and Rabies Order Act of 1974.
We travel to North Cornwall with Belle very frequently and we have never had a visit from Scotland Yard. That would give the patrons in our local pub something to talk about. But of course we are not celebrities and we meticulously follow the rules.
Belle has a European Passport and it is scrutinised with as much vigour as ours. The microchip has to be read and the dog has to have all the required vaccinations plus a certificate that it has been wormed and has had an anti-tick treatment within 24 hours to 48 prior to entering Britain. Only certain transport companies and routes can be used to bring dogs into the UK. It is also specified that you may not bring a pet into the UK from a private boat or plane. We use Calais as our port of departure but perhaps Mr Mourinho does not.
This story obviously appealed to the Chinese as the incident was reported in the China Daily.

9 comments:

Whispering Walls said...

Yes but what's happened to his dog? It's on the run.

Anonymous said...

The arrogance of this man beggars belief. Along with his football team, and his boss he is useless both to man and beast. His whole life has become embroiled in this dreadful "celebrity culture" that is fuelled by publicity and greed. He should join Paris Hilton at her next residence where they can discuss their inspirational qualities until they cry themselves to sleep. His poor dog is the silent victim that will probably pay the terrible price of this foolish man's vanity.

Eurodog said...

Well said BB.

Eurodog said...

WW,
Yes it is still on the run it would seem. Poor dog, victim of its owner's bloody mindedness.
First rule in dog training: do not let go of your dog if you do not have recall.

jmb said...

It's great that you can now travel back and forth with dogs if they have fulfilled all the requirements.

Do you remember (maybe you are too young) when Elizabeth Taylor brought her dogs to Britain and had to keep them on her boat because they would not let any dogs into Britain without lengthy quarantine?

Whispering Walls said...

That dog's turned up in Portugal

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I, too, am worried about the poor dog, not the arrigant owner. When I think of how meticulously I prepared for Simi to come over here! Mr M is not exactly poor, is he?!

Unknown said...

To be honest with you, I would also refuse to let my dog be put in quarantine if I knew that all papers were OK.

Of course, I don't know all the details of this story, but the fact that he jumped in his car immediately and stood up against the police for his dog, shows that he cares about his dog.

Another football player, Gilles De Bilde (ex-gold shoe winner in Belgium, one of the highest awards) refused to play the day after his Dobermann died, which is something I respect.

Eurodog said...

Jean,
Thank you for your comment. Of course I agree with you; I would not let my dog be put into quarantine but we do not know the whole story. Scotland Yard does not pay you an innocent visit to ask to see your dog's papers. I travel with Belle to England very frequently and have done for the last 8 years. I have been asked to show her papers in Dover once. And I can assure you that Scotland Yard is not on my tail if you forgive the expression.