Help my Ukraine-born hearing support dog

We’re absolutely devastated to share that they took our girl yesterday.

DEFRA and APHA seized Maggie Moo, our Ukrainian-born rescue and my hearing support puppy, into quarantine. We’ve had her for little over a week and she’s a family member now. We’re completely heartbroken and realise that this may derail her hearing support training for good.

Paw Help UK has been amazing every step of the way, but the pups arriving with Maggie were dependent on paperwork that relied on a third party who forged blood sample results. This was a lab in Germany that was only used once due to the original labs in Kiev *literally being blown up.* 19 pups were seized last week, and 5 more this week, including Maggie. As the absence of a blood test couldn’t prove she’d had a rabies vaccine (despite having the information, stamps, and stickers required), she’s going to a quarantine kennel for 4 months along with 23 of her co-travellers. She won’t get walks, she won’t be able to socialise with other dogs, and, as of right now, we’re not even allowed to visit to let her know how good a girl she is. For 4 months, essentially, she doesn’t have permission to be a puppy.

To travel through a war zone only to get persecuted on British shores is just bitterly horrible. She’s now traumatized by default, but we’re looking to protect her from the extremes of the duress. DEFRA and APHA are simply doing what they have to do – but for it to be so densely wrapped up in bureaucracy has been profoundly destructive. Their error at the border has allowed 24 dogs and their families to bond, and the subsequent separation has been swift, compassionless, and mired in questionable motives.

In quarantine, she’ll be revaccinated and then have to wait three weeks for a test to confirm – which we understand. We’d not want Maggie to meet a rabid animal either. But we want to fight like hell to have her released at this time, and not 3 months later for no reason other than her country of birth. She was born in war. Now she’s in jail. The kennels and organization will make roughly £2,000-£6,000 from each dog they quarantine, which is a mighty handy positive for them along with the PR boost. But it’s absolutely abysmal for the families who’ve had their new babies ripped out of their arms. Our one saving grace is that we haven’t had to explain this to any young kids, which numerous other families have had to.

The rescue has graciously agreed to cover the kennel costs but they're a very small team, and the costs will likely spiral to six figures. That could signal the end of the organisation and the dogs they would've rescued. This JustGiving page is for Maggie Moo’s costs exclusively. We’d use any donations to cover her kennel, maintenance, vet fees, and vaccination fees, with any extra going to Paw Help UK to help them cushion the blow for the other animals. Maggie was blessed with a phenomenal foster mum who raised a sweet, curious, and intelligent animal. Neither she nor the organisation deserves this.

Meanwhile, please share this far and wide. We’re trying to drum up enough attention around the situation – a unique, perfect storm that has affected 24 completely innocent lives and their families forever – to get national press around the issue and find a quicker, less disruptive solution for these animals and their humans.

Thank you in advance for reading our story and for any donations you may feel inclined to give.