We know people can love their pets a great deal and this morning, we have learned of how far a dog owner is willing to go to protect his puppy pal. About as far as the nearest police station, if you are Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho, Chelsea Football manager, was arrested last night for obstructing police when two officials tried to remove his Yorkshire terrier dog from his home as it was suspected of entering the country without appropriate documentation and precautions. During an event celebrating the Chelsea player of the year award, Mourinho was alerted to police officials arriving at his home - and according to an eyewitness, Mourinho 'sprinted' out of the event in order to prevent the dog-snatching. The Metropolitan Police spokesman politely decribes the scene on the Mourinho doorstep as "Negotiations took place with the owner and subsequently a man in his 40s was arrested," but we can fill in the gaps. We imagine there was shouting.
Not only has Mourinho been charged with obstructing police business, the unnamed Yorkshire terrier is also in trouble: it was going to be removed for alleged offences against the Animal Health Act 1981 and the Rabies Order 1974, and could be fined and quarantined for six months for travelling without the appropriate 'pet passport'. With a pet passport, it should be microchipped, with a clean blood test and full vaccinations against rabies and ticks and should be able to travel freely on approved chartered flights. Did you know...? no matter how rich, high and mighty you may be, you can only bring dogs into the UK on certain carriers through approved routes, and cannot be brought into the UK on private jets. Dogs must always travel on chartered airlines or scheduled services - and no, you can't transfer them from hand luggage to baggage in the hold in the now-customary two-minute panic in the queue to check-in.
As of last night, the dog has been on the loose and is roaming, free and unfettered around Belgravia. It's extreme but if you love them, you've got to let them go. And in Mourinho's case, you've got to be taken to the copshop and get fingerprinted too. All for the love of a Yorkie.
The Sun newspaper is calling for all sightings of the dog to be reported to their newsdesk; if you spot any Mourinho-made 'Lost - Family Pet, Reward £1,000,000 or a Chelsea player of equivalent value', we want to hear about it first.
Image by Julianne Gentile from the Dogs!Dogs!Dogs! Flickr pool, under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
