Dog cancels family holiday after eating the children’s passports

After sorting the check-in for the family holiday four days early, Ella Arundell felt pretty pleased with herself.

Unfortunately, the mum of three’s efficiency didn’t stretch to putting her children’s passports away somewhere safe – or at least out of reach of the family puppy… who then ate them.

Now cocker spaniel Bailey is truly in the doghouse after Ella, 32, and her partner Russell Mack, 35, were forced to cancel their trip to Majorca. 

Ella Arundell, 32, and her partner Russell Mack, with their three young children – Erin, nine, Tilly, six, and Harry, two – and Bailey the dog, whose antics forced them to cancel their holiday

The couple, from Winchester, had been all set to jet off on the £2,500 week-long break with their three young children – Erin, nine, Tilly, six, and Harry, two – on Tuesday.

But Bailey’s antics left them with no choice but to put it off.

The family were unable to use the normal 24-hour fast-track service because they were child passports and the airport warned them that it wouldn’t accept ones that Ella had desperately tried to tape together. 

The self-employed childminder said: ‘It was just so deflating and stressful.’

The family had been due to join friends on the all-inclusive trip on the Spanish holiday island. 

With the penultimate day coinciding with the eldest and youngest’s birthdays, their hotel had even agreed to make their day special with cake and celebrations.

In a bid to be ‘super organised’, Ella had decided to check-in on Saturday night. 

Cocker spaniel Bailey is truly in the doghouse after his antics with the children's passports

Cocker spaniel Bailey is truly in the doghouse after his antics with the children’s passports

She added: ‘It was quite late though so I left the kids’ passports on the side.’

But disaster struck the next morning when carpenter Russell went downstairs to deal with Bailey, who was making a noise going in and out of the cat flap, only to return with the shredded passports. 

Bailey's antics left the family from Winchester with no choice but to put off their holiday

Bailey’s antics left the family from Winchester with no choice but to put off their holiday

Miss Arundell said: ‘Russell came upstairs and said: “We’re not going on holiday”. I was devastated, they were all chewed up.’ 

The next two days were spent desperately seeking ways to fix the problem. 

Ella said they even tried to tape the passports together and took them to Bournemouth Airport on Monday to see if they’d allow them through. 

She said: ‘They looked rubbish but we were clutching at straws.’

She said their insurers would not do anything because it was not an illness or death and because they were child passports they could not get fast-tracked new ones.

She said: ‘If they were ours, we could have got new ones next day. But if it’s a child under 16, there are child protection issues and it takes seven working days.’

In the end, the couple have had to pay the holiday company On The Beach £1,000 to change their plans to go a month later.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk