Since the introduction of pet passports in February 2000, many dog owners have benefitted from being able to take dogs to Ireland or the Scottish Islands, as well as to EU member states or other countries which accept the EU pet passport, when travelling for work or holidays. The potentially high costs of doing so, however, have been starkly revealed by the tragic death earlier this year of Oliver – a five year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Oliver accompanied his owner Lisa Hall and her partner on a DFDS operated ferry crossing between Dover and Dunkirk in September. DFDS policy requires dogs to be kept in cars during this crossing (notwithstanding the fact that they charge £15 for carrying dogs). Ms Hall claims that she was not permitted to check on Oliver during the crossing, even though she had been concerned about leaving him since it was a hot morning. When she returned to the vehicle she found Oliver dead, a death she attributes to heatstroke. She notes that on the day in question temperatures in the South East ranged from 14C to 22C, two to three degrees above average time. While she left windows open and plenty of water for Oliver, as she observes. “Cars can become as hot as an oven very quickly even when it doesn’t feel that warm. When it is 22 degrees in a car it can reach a temperature of 47 degrees within 60 minutes.”
DFDS have denied any liability for Oliver’s death. They maintain that it is safe to keep dogs in cars on the basis that cars containing dogs are marked with a sticker and that a member of staff patrols the car deck to check on dogs. According to them Ms Hall’s car was parked in a well ventilated area and the temperature was maintained at 19C during the crossing. They were, however, unable to confirm to the newspaper Dog World (2nd December 2016) that Ms Hall’s car was actually checked during the crossing. The company states that passengers are permitted to visit animals left in cars during the journey provided they are accompanied by a staff member. They have disputed Ms Hall’s claim that she was not in fact allowed to visit Oliver during the crossing, stating that there was no evidence that she had requested to do so. DFDS stated: “We have transported more than 35,000 dogs safely on our routes so far this year. Following a thorough investigation we have no indication that our procedures are inadequate and, as a post-mortem was not carried out at the time, there is no evidence of the cause of Oliver’s death. It is a tragic incident for which we are very sorry but for which DFDS cannot be held liable.”
While is scarcely surprising that DFDS would dispute legal liability for Oliver’s death, their unwillingness to review their policy is disappointing and of concern to all dog owners. A change.org petition calling on DFDS to change this policy has attracted over 40,00 signatures https://www.change.org/p/dogs-on-ferries. Given the company’s intransigence Ms Hall has also announced her intention to bring a private prosecution against them if sufficient funds can be raised to do so. Meanwhile, dog owners who wish their dogs to accompany them on trips from mainland Great Britain would be well advised to check the policy of their chosen ferry company. Other ferry companies like Stena Line which operate a number of crossings to Ireland also require dogs to be left in cars unless a kennel is pre booked. (On longer trips DFDS also provide kennels which can be booked but this was not an option on the shorter route between Dover and Dunkirk). Such policies may be contrasted with the more sensible approach of Calmac Ferries, which on its crossings to the Scottish Islands provides clearly designated pet friendly areas where dogs are permitted provided they are restrained by leads or harnesses and kept away from areas serving food. All dog owners need to be aware of the risks of ferry travel to their dogs if their carrier requires dogs to be left in cars. Lisa Hall’s petition is well worth supporting so that Oliver’s death in not in vain.