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Airline
lost dog ‘for five hours’
LIKE
THOUSANDS of other British pet lovers, Kerry Shellard was happy
to use the new Pet Passport Scheme to bring her Toy Poodle Millie
from Spain to England without the need for her much-loved pet
to go though six months quarantine.
But what should have been a straightforward journey turned into
a nightmare when British Midland and Heathrow Airport officials
‘mislaid’ Millie for over five hours after the plane
from Madrid had landed. Millie was extremely distressed as a
result and collapsed and later died. Heartbroken Kerry then
found herself locked in a bureaucratic nightmare when she tried
to seek an explanation from British Midland and the Heathrow
Animal Reception Centre.
“It’s been an absolute nightmare from the beginning,”
says Kerry, 31, from Bilston, West Midlands. “I arranged
everything to bring Millie into the UK, getting her vaccinated
against rabies, blood tested, microchipped and with all the
necessary documentation. I even flew in on the same plane as
she did from Madrid, but nobody can tell me what happened to
her after we landed.”
On July 3rd last year, Kerry and 13 year-old Millie flew from
Madrid to Heathrow on a British Midland flight. BMI are approved
air carriers under the Government’s much-touted PETS Travel
Scheme. Millie was held in an approved air travel container
in the plane’s hold with water to drink, and was in good
health upon leaving Madrid. On arrival at Heathrow, Kerry reported
to the Menzes Cargo Centre, where BMI had advised her to report
to collect Millie. After a very long wait, staff informed Kerry
that they were not aware that there was a dog arriving on the
Madrid flight and they had no idea who to contact to find Millie.
After a lot of ringing around, the staff eventually advised
Kerry to report to the Animal Reception Centre.
“Things went from bad to worse”, says Kerry. “I
waited ages at the ARC until they found Millie and gave her
to me. She was in a very distressed state and from the way she
was barking, it sounded like she had a sore throat. When I mentioned
this to the girl at the ARC, she simply said ‘Oh, she’s
just excited.’ The flight had landed, on time, at 14.30,
and Kerry finally collected Millie at 19.30.
But as Kerry was driving her home in her air-conditioned Mitsubishi
Shogun, Millie deteriorated badly and was in a state of collapse.
“I took her to an emergency vet. He told me that she was
extremely ill and was, in fact, dying. If I took her home she
would die and that, in any event, her chances of survival were
only 60%”, says Kerry.
Millie spent the night at the vets in an oxygen tent, but never
fully recovered from her ordeal and died three months.
“When I got home form the vets I was horrified to notice
that Millie’s clean, dry bedding from her carrier had been
replaced with absolutely sodden wet newspapers,” says Kerry.
“When I removed them they left a pool of water. It appears
that someone had attempted to cool her down, but nobody will
admit to doing this.
“When we arrived at Heathrow it was a very hot day, and
all in all it took over five hours to hand Millie over to me.
In that time, she must have been left somewhere where she overheated,
but of course no-one is admitting to this.
Neglected
“If
I left a dog in a car on a hot day and caused it suffering,
I would be prosecuted and rightly so. BMI and ARC neglected
Millie to such an extent that she nearly died, and her health
was ruined. I believe they tried to cool her down, but even
though they knew how ill she was, they released her to me,
rather than let Millie die in their care, due to their neglect.”
Kerry then embarked on an increasingly frustrating process
of correspondence with BMI, the ARC and even the Department
of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), who have responsibility
for the PETS Scheme.
“It became clear that they weren’t just stonewalling
me, they were lying to me,” says Kerry angrily.
In a letter to Kerry dated 10th September, John Dowds, the
Cargo Customer Services Manager at BMI wrote that “There
was nothing untoward noted on the file or any indication that
your dog was ill or in distress. (The Animal Reception Centre)
collected the animal directly from the aircraft and kept it
at the ARC until you collected it by taxi that afternoon.”
“I did not use a taxi, Millie only arrived at the ARC
at around 4 o’clock that afternoon, having been missing
for one and a half hours since the plane landed,” says
Kerry.
In a further letter dated 2nd October 2001, Mr Dowds told
Kerry that the flight was “running late due to some bad
weather en route from Madrid.” In fact, the flight was
not delayed due to bad weather, as Kerry remembers this very
well, being a passenger herself on the flight.
Further correspondence from BMI, in consultation with the
ARC, stated that Millie had soiled her bedding, which was
then changed for newspapers, but Millie’s blanket, which
was handed to Kerry, was clean and dry. “Wet newspapers
would be used to cool an overheated dog down,” says Kerry,
“but they just won’t admit to this.”
Kerry became increasingly frustrated by Mr Dowd’s explanations,
so wrote direct to BMI’s Executive Chairman Sir Michael
Bishop, demanding not just an explanation, but also a refund
of her £220 air fare and Millie’s veterinary fees
of £198.88.
Once again, she received vague and incorrect responses. The
Corporation of London’s Department of Environmental Services,
who are responsible for Heathrow ARC compiled a report for
BMI, again questioning the fact that the dog had been held
at the ARC for several hours, awaiting Kerry’s arrival
and denying that the dog had been in poor health.
“I just feel so frustrated by all of this,” says
a heartbroken Kerry. “I sent copies of all the correspondence
to Baroness Hayman at DEFRA, but they just say that it’s
all the responsibility of the carrier - i.e. British Midland
- and even say that there are no guarantees that animals will
be in good health at the end of their journey.
No guarantee
“Nobody
will admit to the fact that they lost my dog for five hours
and that she suffered heatstroke. Basically, they are trying
to say that I didn’t bother to collect her in time and
that she must have been in poor health when she left Madrid,
which is simply not true. Had she not been fit, she would
not have been allowed to travel.
“I just want other pet owners to be aware that if they
are using the PETS Scheme to bring their dog or cat into the
UK, the carriers and DEFRA will not guarantee that animal’s
welfare. That’s a shocking indictment of the whole scheme
and it’s certainly not what anyone should reasonably
expect.
“ Before Millie was left in BMI’s care she was a
very healthy active dog, after BMI cared for her she was a
very poorly dog who slept all the time. Millie never fully
recovered and suffered further respiratory problems. Sadly
on 7th October Millie died after further medical problems
and although I cannot prove it I know that BMI’s neglect
left her weakened. Had BMI taken care of her I know she would
still be here with me.”
John Dowds of BMI declined to comment, as did DEFRA.
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