Coco the dog stranded abroad

April 17, 2007

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Coco may be in France for months

Coco may be in France for months 1/2 Play Slideshow

A FAMILY has been left devastated after a failed microchip means their pet dog could be kept in quarantine in France for up to six months.

Richard and Jane Birtwistle had to leave their beloved chocolate Labrador Coco behind after a family holiday when she fell foul of strict pet quarantine laws.

Under the new Pet Travel Scheme all dogs must be vaccinated against rabies, blood tested, have a valid pet passport and be fitted with a microchip to re-enter Britain.

Teacher Jane and solicitor Richard took her for a last-minute check to their local vet in Ramsbottom before they left the country. But Coco was refused entry back into Britain because her microchip failed.

Scan

The couple even had a French vet operate on the dog to locate the chip but it still failed to scan and the dog was forced to remain in French kennels.

Jane, 32, said: "When we got to the Eurotunnel and the officers scanned Coco they couldn't find her microchip. They told us that she would have to remain in France. I'm fluent in French and tried to reason with them but they said it was the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England that wouldn't let her back into the country."

So Jane rang Defra from France and explained that Coco had all the relevant documentation and vaccinations and had been checked by a vet before leaving the country.

"They still wouldn't budge. They said as they couldn't be sure Coco was the same dog she would have to stay in France.

"The only way round it was to take her to a French vet who would operate to remove microchip."

In desperation the couple drove to Dunkirk and found a French vet willing to open his surgery on a Sunday and operate on Coco.

But even once the vet had found and removed the microchip it still wouldn't scan.

Verified

Devastated Jane said: "The authorities told us that Coco would have to remain in France until the microchip was verified.

"If the microchip still can't be verified then she will have to have a new microchip fitted and stay in France for up to six months. It could cost thousands. It is a nightmare.

"She has had to undergo surgery and is recovering with strange people and in a strange place and she could be there for months."

A Defra spokesperson said: "If there is a problem with the microchip the pet would have to stay in quarantine.

"The standard length of time is six months but this can be shorter if the pet is found to comply with all parts of the PETS scheme earlier."

Have you had similar experiences with Pet Travel Scheme? Let us know below.

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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

LuLu (17/04/2007 at 16:53)

This goes to show that the system does not work and the real test will come at how quickly they can get Coco back home!

LuLu (17/04/2007 at 16:57)

Free Coco!

Eileen Holden (17/04/2007 at 19:16)

Free the walshaw 1

Suesue, Ramsbottom (17/04/2007 at 19:52)

Poor Coco. The poor dog must be traumatised not knowing where she is or where her owners are - and in a strange country. She has a microchip - let her home!

Suesue, Ramsbottom (17/04/2007 at 19:59)

What a waste of time and money when they should be stopping Illegal immigrants - not poor COCo.

chris.dickinson@zen.co.uk, Ramsbottom (17/04/2007 at 20:21)

Poor coco. Its not her fault. Just let her come home. I bet they want to kidnap her as shes so cute

chris.dickinson@zen.co.uk, Ramsbottom (17/04/2007 at 20:23)

the manufacters of this chip need to pay the bills as compensation

pike, bolton (17/04/2007 at 20:33)

If you are responsible, like these owners, and get your dog poperly vaccinated and even have the chip checked before you go out to France - then what more can you do?

Just proves that the system is a shambles and a family has been seperated from it's gorgeous dog.

Surely if all the documentation is in place and there is sufficient evidence to prove it is the right dog then it must be allowed to come back?

Good luck Coco!

bomber, Ramsbottom (17/04/2007 at 22:29)

This just goes to show that the system doesnt work! I thought we were apart of europe! Surely verification from cocos vet and backtracking to the last visit to France would rectify this problem. I understand the need to identify coco and her being tested to verify that she has had the necessary injections. Once this has been completed i hope that coco is released especially as the error is not a fault of Jane and Richard who have complied with the regulations. It just leaves me to say FREE COCO and let her get back to her family where she belongs.

gato (18/04/2007 at 00:10)

I hope they get him home soon. Could they use D.N.A from his hair at the house to Identify him. Surely it must only be a question of identifying him. He was positivly identified last time the chip worked so if they prove he is the same Dog with D.N.A,Whats the problem.

red (18/04/2007 at 01:02)

lucky dog. all those French poodles and appetizing food!

Ace Riley (18/04/2007 at 11:39)

Like everything that europe offers the british (USELESS)And dosnt work...When will the british wake up and smell the coffee?Europe dosnt work for us?

CAROLYN PRIESTLEY, BURY (18/04/2007 at 13:16)

i have never heard anything so ridiculous. we have known coco since she was a baby and she is an extension of jane and richard, and now joshua (a true member of the family). i understand there have to be rules but i am sure that it is obvious to anyone who meets the family that there isnt a dog more loved and registered correctly. send coco home

carolyn and alice

DRD40, Ainsworth (18/04/2007 at 14:06)

Poor Coco

Surely the UK vet or chip suppliers can sort this out? There must be some way of getting the data off the chip even if it can't be read by the standard scanner? Information can even be extracted form a broken computer!! It's ridiculous to keep an animal in a strange country with a different language - just as important for dogs as humans - not to mention the anguish this is causing for Jane & family who have enough to deal with without this!

Surely the pet passport is a back-up to the chip & should be a valid second check if the chip fails? If not then the system is clearly not working. Even some breast implants have a serial number to identify where they came from & who they were put into! Why do these chips not have a similar serial number????

Diane

Melon, London (18/04/2007 at 14:13)

OH NO COCO! Bring her home! She's innocent!

lol (18/04/2007 at 16:42)

I think it's so unfair that coco is stuck is france. They should let her go home to live with her family. Coco is innocent so let her go! They should be doing something more worthwhile than keeping a dog away from it's home.

ryan (18/04/2007 at 19:37)

i think its utterly ridiculous that the british authorities are being so health crazy. The fact that the dog had proof of ownership in britain surely means it had adequate innoculations before getting into france in the first place. I really hope the government see sense soon Mrs.Birtwistle, good luck!

Teddy13, Prestwich (18/04/2007 at 20:56)

Pauvre chienne! I don't think so. Living in France, eating gourmet food with a warmer climate, what more could a dog want. In addition French class and culture. If I were Coco I would say bye bye Ramsbottam, Hello civilisation

ellie oswald, barnoldswick (18/04/2007 at 21:01)

poor Coco - - if chips don't work does this mean all dogs will have to have a tattoo and suffer more pain.
let Coco come home

Andrea Finnerty, Rochdale (18/04/2007 at 21:22)

An innocent, healthy and loved Dog. Why should she and her family suffer because of a failed microchip. The family has done everything required to comply with Government quarantine laws. Free Coco!

lucy gleeson (19/04/2007 at 08:26)

sadly dogs don't live as long as humans - to take the dog away from their owners for this amount of time is really unfair.. someone needs to take responsibility and sort this out.

maxine, London (19/04/2007 at 08:53)

This is such a sad story, not to mention ridiculous. I can't even begin to imagine how Coco's family must be feeling, or how Coco must feel trapped in a strange country after being operated on. Its just heartbreaking. I could barely bring myself to watch the news this morning. So many people have made such good points. I think we should all go to the government and complain about this situation. Hopefully now that its been in the media they will pull their fingers out and do something about it. I have a dog, she is chipped too. I was considering taking her abroad next summer but this has really made me think twice. I really hope Coco is returned to her loving family as quickly as possible.

Thibault, France Brittany (19/04/2007 at 09:13)

We live in France and heard your story on GMTV. We have a labrador called Thibault. We would be pleased to look after him while you sort things out.
e-mail us.
regards
Trevor & Geri Dallas

Fiona, Radcliffe (19/04/2007 at 16:22)

This is causing suffering and pain to both Coco and the family; surely some common sense could be applied?

dennis (19/04/2007 at 21:44)

Questions should be asked in the House of Commons as a matter of national urgency.
Rt Hon David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
Are you reading this ???

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