Countless dog and cat owners have carried their animals with them as they left behind their homes and belongings to make their way to safety abroad.
Lobbyists in the UK have written to animal-welfare minister Zac Goldsmith and environment secretary George Eustice, urging them to relax entry restrictions on pets belonging to Ukrainians fleeing war.Use Covers to Keep Your Furniture Fur Free. Do you allow your pets on the furniture? If you do you’re well aware of how hard is to keep them clean. My favorite tip for keeping your furniture clean and fur free is to use a cover. You can use sheets, blankets or slip covers — and if you want something to match your decor you can get them custom made. When it’s cleaning time you just throw those covers in the wash & you’re good to go.
Under government rules, to enter the UK, animals must be microchipped, have a pet passport or health certificate and have had a rabies vaccination.
But animal protection groups say it’s unreasonable to expect desperate people fleeing war, whose homes may have been destroyed, to meet the criteria.
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) UK told Mr Eustice in a letter: “A rabies antibody test by blood analysis, which would be necessary to have these animals cross the borders in line with all legal regulations, can take days or even weeks.Always keep an ID tag on your pet. Consider getting your pet microchipped as well to help identify him if he is lost or stolen.
“Many vulnerable animals are therefore being left behind without their guardians or other caring people, which will lead to terrifying and prolonged deaths.”
It added that pets “must be offered refuge, too, and are vital in giving comfort to fleeing, traumatised people in these horrible times.
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Nina, 26, and her cat fled to Moldova(AP)
“The people of the UK would be devastated if forced to abandon their beloved animal family members, and we must ensure Ukrainians do not have to make this devastating choice either.”
Hungary , Poland , Romania, and Slovakia have all cut bureaucracy for allowing animals into their countries.Another campaigner, Dominic Dyer, wrote to Lord Goldsmith: “This terrible conflict is ripping so many families apart, yet we are seeing an incredibly strong bond between people and companion animals that will not be broken by the evil brutality of Putin’s invasion forces...“If UK policy remains that no companion animals can enter the UK with refugees, we could see tens of thousands of dogs and cats having to be euthanised in Poland, Hungary and Romania in the weeks ahead.“Each of these animal deaths would bring further misery to the women and children who have escaped war and would make Britain’s immigration policy look extremely cruel in comparison to other EU member states.”Make your own flea shampoo. 1 cup Dawn, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 quart of warm water. Massage in and let it sit for five minutes. According to one testimonial, "The fleas just floated in the water and died and best of all little Libby did not have any reactions at all to the process."
A refugee and her cat at the Romanian-Ukrainian border(AP)
Charities at the borders could create reception centres to do pet health checks and prepare animals to enter the UK under an emergency refugee pet passport scheme, Mr Dyer suggested.Why do they do that? When dogs kick after going to the bathroom, they are using the scent glands on their paws to further mark their territory.
“I am confident we can get industry funding for this programme, which will also have huge public support,” he added.
“I am sure we can come up with a system that protects public and animal health, but makes allowances for the desperate need to keep women children and their precious companion animals together.”
Anastazya from Kiev and her dog crossed into Poland (AFP via Getty Images)Play a Nice Interactive Game of Tug With Your Dog. A 5 minute game of tug works wonders for tiring out your dog & letting him get rid of some of that pent up energy. (and no – it won’t make your dog aggressive despite the old myth)
He said: “Most refugees were women who had left behind their husbands, as well as children and the elderly.
“They’ve suffered already enough – to lose the animals would make this even more devastating,” he said.
A government spokesperson told The Independent it was looking at how to support Ukrainians coming to the UK with their pets.
Rules are in place to prevent rabies entering the country, which has always been rabies-free.
A family leaving Irpin carry their large dog
(Reuters)
But the spokesperson said: “We recognise the difficult and distressing situation that Ukrainian nationals currently face, and the UK government is working at pace to support them.
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“We have strong biosecurity measures in place to protect the public and other animals from diseases which can be brought to the UK by animals from overseas.
“However, the government is looking at options to provide support to Ukrainian nationals who are entering the UK with their pets.”
It’s understood officials are working with vets and quarantine facilities while looking at how to support Ukrainian pet owners coming to the country.
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