16 May 2022
Small animal vet Tim Sandys, who signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, was matched with a family from Kharkiv, but faced delays and red tape bringing them and their dog to the UK.
James Westgate
Job Title
Tim Sandys with Eleonora, 14-year-old son Vsevelod and Lusik the Yorkshire terrier pictured in Calais before the final leg of the trip to the UK.
A vet left stranded in France for three days with a Ukrainian refugee family and their dog has called on APHA to make urgent changes to its system for importing pets from the war-torn country.
Following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine in February, thousands of British families have signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which has been introduced to help fast track the process of housing refugees in the UK.
Among those moved to act after witnessing harrowing scenes of civilians fleeing the conflict was small animal vet Tim Sandys, who signed up to the scheme and was soon matched with a family from Kharkiv – Eleonora, her 14-year-old son Vsevelod, and their Yorkshire terrier Lusik.
Mr Sandys said: “As soon as my wife and I saw there was a practical way to help some refugees escape from the Ukraine war, we signed up.
“I was quick to notice how a large proportion of them had pets with them. I wasn’t surprised they take the thing that matters most in that terrible moment of losing everything else.
“But escaping a war zone is not like booking a holiday, and as soon as we were matched, I said to the family [through a translator as the family speak no English] that we would love to host them, including the dog, but they needed to be aware of the need for quarantine – possibly for four months.
“So we quickly arranged for the dog to see a vet for an EU passport and rabies vaccine, as by then they had already been refugees for three weeks, were running out of money and had no certainty of where they would sleep or eat.”
Mr Sandys – who also volunteers for StreetVet – even qualified as a small animal OV in a bid to speed up the process, as he knew there could be bureaucratic hurdles to clear before the family could bring their dog to the UK.
He said he received a steady stream of conflicting advice from APHA, despite emergency support being put in place for those fleeing Ukraine with their pets.
Mr Sandys explained: “When I first rang APHA, I was told they wouldn’t be able to come into the UK for four months. I then rang back a little later and spoke to a different person, and they said get an EU passport and wait 21 days, then they can enter quarantine. Another time I tried, a third person said we didn’t need anything, it would all be done in quarantine on arrival.
“It became apparent to me that this was going to be a challenging and confusing process as, despite the people at APHA all being helpful and kind, they just didn’t know the process as it had not been communicated to them properly.”
One of Mr Sandys’ biggest concerns was where and when Lusik the dog would be collected to begin his time in UK quarantine. He said APHA officials repeatedly told him the dog would be collected in England, although its website stated all pets arriving in Calais would be collected by APHA officials in France.
On April 19, Eleonora and her son were granted visas to the UK and despite being delayed in Stuttgart – where they had travelled from Ukraine via the Czech Republic with millions of other refugees – Mr Sandys was able to pay for a train that meant the beleaguered family would arrive in Calais on 22 April.
But having driven to France to meet them in the expectation that the protracted process was coming to an end, Mr Sandys soon found himself bogged down in bureaucracy once again.
He said: “I arrived in Calais at the train station where I would meet Eleonora, her son and their dog for the first time in my life. Before the train arrived I had some time to ring APHA as I still needed to know exactly where to meet the quarantine team and it was on that call that I was told I needed to fill in a new form, ID108.
“I was in a car park in France with minimal battery, and with the help of my teenage son on a computer in the UK we urgently filled in an ID108 and sent it.”
Mr Sandys had already helped the family submit a Ukraine licence application form weeks earlier and secure a pet passport for Lusik.
Mr Sandys continued: “I then got a devastating phone call from APHA telling me that nobody was going to meet us. Not in England, not in France – still they weren’t sure which country it would be.
“I was actually on the phone to APHA the very moment I saw them carrying the dog from the train platform.
“What should have been a moment of joy and freedom after their 53-day journey was one of utter devastation. I finished the call with APHA and I went to meet the family, and the first thing I had to tell them was that we were stuck in France.
“I had no money, my credit card was maxed out due to the train ticket to get them here and I had nothing with me, as I only planned to be in France for three hours. The APHA failings and process meant, in the end, we were stranded in France for three days.
“Me, a traumatised boy, a vulnerable mother and their little dog.”
Thanks to donations from friends and family, two hotel rooms were booked and money raised for food while Mr Sandys was left to pick his way through another maze of red tape.
Finally, thanks in part to the personal intervention of a Government official, Lusik was collected by APHA in Calais on Sunday 24 April and the family made it to the UK – but only after three days of frantic phone calls and emails.
Mr Sandys said: “Many Ukrainians will be arriving at the ports with pets and no idea whatsoever that there even is an APHA process to follow at all, or vaccines needed.
“The entry process needs looking at urgently. There has been enough pain and trauma in Ukraine. We cannot let people who think they are finally free be faced with this enormous challenge and delay. They have seen and experienced enough battles.
“If they arrive with their pet and can’t bring it, consider that. It is almost the only thing they took as they fled.”
In response to Mr Sandys’ complaints, an APHA spokesman said: “We have increased resources, and streamlined processes to ensure those fleeing Ukraine and entering the UK are not delayed by bringing their pets.
“We have introduced a new rapid rabies blood test to cut quarantine times, and lower risk animals are being moved into isolation. We are continuing to review processes and increase quarantine capacity, while maintaining our biosecurity standards.”
