A SCOTS rugby fan has been left devastated after discovering her dog had destroyed her passport – just one week before she was due to jet off to the World Cup final.
Ellis McLeod was planning to attend the final in France on Saturday, where current holders South Africa will face three-time champions New Zealand.
However, after hearing her dad’s dog Ashley tearing away at what she thought was a toy during a work call, 26-year-old Ellis soon discovered that it was in fact her passport that the pooch had gotten hold of.
Ellis, from Dundee, quickly called the passport office to explain the situation but after being informed of how long it would take for a new passport to arrive, has had to accept the fact she won’t be at the final.
Images show HR advisor Ellis holding up her torn, dark blue British passport with two large bite marks courtesy of the one-year-old pup in the front and back of it.
However, further images also show that it’s not just the outside of the passport that was ruined.
More snaps show the pages inside chewed in half, while some others have been wedged inside each other.
A final image shows where the passport was found – lying on the floor next to an old burgundy red passport, which has also fallen victim to the pup’s chewing.
Ellis took to social media on Friday to share the amusing images, joking: “Get a dog, they said. It will be fun, they said.
“Supposed to be going to France a week today for the Rugby World Cup Final.”
The post received hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from users left in stitches by the naughty pup’s actions.
One person wrote: “Don’t think they want you to go.”
While another said: “I’d say chance it but ‘the dog ate my passport’ excuse might not work as good as ‘the dog ate my homework’ one.”
A third commented: “They’re not called ‘cockerdiles’ for nothing.”
A fourth added: “Oops. Maybe that’s their way of saying if they can’t go then you ain’t.”
Speaking to Ellis today, she said: “I was in my appraisal at work around 11am on Friday.
“Louie is mine and he’s two and Ashley is almost one and he’s my dad’s. I have him a lot as my dad travels for work.
“The boys were playing in the bedroom and watching out the window as they normally do.
“I had my passport out, high up on my dresser, as I needed to remember to pack it for going away on Friday for the final of the rugby world cup – which I have been following since the beginning of the tournament.
“During my appraisal, I heard Ashley tearing something up. I figured it was a toy and wasn’t anything important as there wasn’t anything important lying around, or so I thought.
“I came through to the bedroom at around 11:45am to find the passport pretty torn up.
“I laughed at first and FaceTimed my dad until it dawned on me. I was supposed to be going to France in a week.
“I quickly phoned the passport office to be told they only approve passports on the same day for compassionate travel or on medical travel, and even if I got an appointment in Glasgow that afternoon, it was unlikely I would get my passport in time as the wait time from appointment is 7-8 days.”
Ellis is now likely to be watching the game from the comfort of her own home – with the dogs.
She joked: “It’s very unlikely I will be going to France and will be watching at home. I think I am just about over it now.”
