We all know the age-old excuse: 'Sorry, Miss, my dog ate my homework!' But for one British traveller in France, this cliché struck painfully close to home.
Puppy Xena Destroys Passport
Karl Phillips, 40, from Northampton, Northamptonshire, found himself stranded abroad after his friend's 'cheeky' puppy ripped his passport to shreds, eating several pages as a 'snack'.
Karl had left his passport in a bag on a desk in his friend's apartment in Tourrettes, France, where he was staying. On April 20, he left the building for about an hour. Upon his return, he was stunned to discover that Xena, his friend's one-year-old puppy, had destroyed his travel document.
Karl recounted: 'I popped out and 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 between her paws, munching on it. She was chewing it like it was the tastiest snack in the world. I can't believe it. There was no way I was getting through customs with that.'
He added: 'I was in shock. I took it off her, and the most important page was the most destroyed.' Photos show the personal details page of Karl's passport torn apart, with pages ripped out and chewed up.
Emergency Measures
Karl was supposed to fly back to London on April 21 but could not due to the damage. Instead, he contacted the British Embassy and made a two-hour journey to Marseille to purchase a £125 emergency passport. At the British Consulate in Marseille, the woman processing his new passport found the incident amusing. 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.'
What Constitutes a Damaged Passport?
According to the GOV.UK website, a passport is considered damaged if you cannot read any of your details, or if any pages are ripped, cut, or missing. Other signs include holes, cuts, or rips in the cover, a cover coming away, or stains such as ink or water damage on the pages. HM Passport Office warns that such damage may mean you cannot travel with it.
Karl has since spent over £500 on new flights and a passport to return home. He urges others to think twice about leaving important documents within a dog's reach.
Expert Advice
Travel insurance expert Paul Gillooly, who works at Surely, offers advice for anyone in a similar predicament. 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. Damaged passports, such as those chewed by a dog, fall into the same category. A passport with a torn cover, water damage, missing pages, or unreadable details is not legally valid for travel. Most people discover this at the airport gate when an airline refuses to board them.'
Paul explains that if your passport is destroyed abroad, stay calm and obtain a local police report, which is necessary for an insurance claim and possibly for the emergency travel document application. Then apply online at GOV.UK for an Emergency Travel Document. The application costs £125 per person, is non-refundable, and the document is usually ready for collection from the British embassy or consulate two working days after application.
He adds: 'It will only let you complete the journey you specify. If your travel plans change after applying, you must start again and pay another £125. Before submitting, ensure you know exactly which countries you are travelling through and the dates, as the document is printed with that itinerary.'
Paul warns that many people assume travel insurance covers everything, but it usually does not. Standard policies typically cover the £125 emergency travel document fee, the cost of replacing the passport at home, and reasonable extra accommodation and transport costs while waiting. However, almost every policy requires reporting the loss or damage within 24 hours and providing a written police report. Miss these, and your claim may be refused. Additionally, accidental damage caused by your own pet is a grey area; some insurers treat a dog-chewed passport as accidental damage covered under the policy, while others argue it falls under a general exclusion for preventable damage. The wording varies between providers.
Paul advises: 'Always carry a clear photo or scanned copy of your passport on your phone and email yourself a backup, as this speeds up the emergency replacement process. Keep your passport in a hard case rather than loose in a bag. Check the small print of your travel insurance policy for what it pays out for damaged or lost documents, and note the time limits and evidence requirements. 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 will have to pay the £125 again.'
