We all know that age-old excuse: ‘Sorry, Miss, my dog ate my homework!’
Unfortunately for one Brit travelling in France, this hit far too close to home.
Karl Phillips, 40, from Northampton, in Northamptonshire, was left stranded abroad when his friend’s ‘cheeky’ puppy ripped his passport to shreds – eating pages out of it for a ‘snack’.
Karl had left his passport in a bag on top of a desk in his friend’s apartment in Tourrettes, France, where he was staying when he left the building on April 20.
But on his return to the flat an hour later, the 40-year-old was left stunned to find that his friend’s one-year-old puppy Xena had destroyed his travel document.
Karl said: ‘I popped out and I came back to my mate’s house and the dog was on the sofa with the passport in her mouth eating it.
‘It was ripped to pieces. The first thing I saw was her on the sofa with it in between her paws munching on it.
‘She was chewing on it on the sofa like it was the tastiest snack in the world. I can’t believe it. There is no way I [was] getting through customs with that.
Karl Phillips was left stranded in Tourrettes, France after a passport mishap
It came after his friend’s pooch decided to eat his passport, leaving it in tatters
One-year-old pup Xena unwittingly wreaked havoc upon travel plans
‘I was in shock. I took it off of her and the most important page was the most destroyed.’
Photos show the personal details page in Karl’s passport ripped apart with the pages torn out and chewed up.
Karl said he was supposed to be flying back to London on April 21 but was unable to do so because of the damage.
Instead, he had to contact the British Embassy and then make a two-hour journey to Marseille to buy a £125 emergency passport.
At the British Consulate in Marseille, Karl says the woman sorting him a new passport found the incident amusing.
Eventually, after securing a temporary document, Karl was able to fly back to the UK on April 26.
Karl said: ‘The lady found it quite funny and said maybe don’t let your dog get hold of the new one. All together it has cost over £500.
‘Don’t leave your passport in reach of a cheeky little puppy.’
The passport was visibly damaged, meaning it could not be used
Karl managed to get an emergency passport so he could fly back to the UK
According to the GOV.UK website, a passport is considered damaged if you cannot read any of your details and if any of the pages are ripped, cut or missing.
It may also be considered damaged if there are holes, cuts or rips in your cover, the cover is coming away or there are stains, such as ink or water damage, on the pages.
The HM Passport Office says any of these indications of damage may mean you might not be able to travel with it.
Karl claims he’s since spent more than £500 on new flights and a passport to get home to the UK.
He is now urging others to think twice about leaving important documents in a dog’s reach to stop this from happening to them.
And travel insurance expert, Paul Gillooly, who works at Surely has given his advice for anyone else who happens to find themselves in a similar situation.
He says: ‘Stories like this might seem surprising, but they happen far more often than people realise.
‘Nearly 20,000 UK travellers had to apply for an emergency travel document in 2024 alone after losing or having their passport stolen abroad, and damaged passports, such as those damaged by a dog chewing them, fall into the same category.
‘A passport with a torn cover, water damage, missing pages or unreadable details is not legally valid for travel, full stop. Most people only discover this at the airport gate when an airline refuses to board them.’
Travel insurance expert Paul Gillooly has advised travellers on what to do in this situation
Paul explains that if your passport gets destroyed abroad, the first thing to do is stay calm and get the local police report – this will be needed for your insurance claim, and you may need it for the emergency travel document application.
He adds you should then go online to GOV.UK and apply for an Emergency Travel Document.
The application costs £125 per person, is non-refundable, and the document is usually ready to collect from the British embassy or consulate two working days after you apply.
He says: ‘It will only let you complete the journey you specify, and if your travel plans change after you have applied, you have to start again and pay another £125. So before you submit anything, make sure you know exactly which countries you are travelling through and the dates, because the document is printed with that itinerary on it.
‘Now here is the part most people get wrong. They assume their travel insurance will cover everything. It usually will not. Standard travel insurance policies will typically cover the £125 emergency travel document fee, the cost of replacing the passport when you get home, and reasonable extra accommodation and transport costs while you wait.
‘But almost every policy requires you to report the loss or damage within 24 hours and to provide a written police report. Miss either of those and your claim can be refused.
‘Also, accidental damage caused by your own pet is a grey area. Some insurers will treat a dog-chewed passport as accidental damage covered under the policy; others will argue it falls under a general exclusion for damage you could have prevented. The wording matters enormously and varies between providers.’
Paul advises: ‘My practical advice for anyone travelling abroad with a pet in the home, or even just travelling, is straightforward.
‘Always carry a clear photo or scanned copy of your passport on your phone and email yourself a backup, because it speeds up the emergency replacement process significantly.
‘Keep your passport in a hard case rather than loose in a bag.
‘Check the small print of your travel insurance policy specifically for what it pays out for damaged or lost documents, and what the time limits and evidence requirements are.
‘And whatever you do, do not book a new flight home until you have the email from the FCDO confirming when and where to collect your emergency document, because if your dates change you have to pay the £125 again.’
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