Have you ever had a pet try to prevent you from leaving on a trip? They’ll try anything from looking cute and pitiful to going on a hunger strike. Once, my childhood cat even soiled the inside of my family’s car to try keep us in town (fortunately, she chose the wrong vehicle).
Moses, a basset hound puppy belonging to Eric Mann and Brooke Blew of Massachusetts, used a far more effective strategy: attempting to devour Mr. Mann’s US passport two days before the couple’s honeymoon in Cancun.
Mr. Mann brought the passport to a passport office to see whether or not he could travel without replacing it. He told Boston ABC affiliate WCVB TV, “I thought I did my due diligence. They said it was fine and the bar codes and picture were all intact.”
The couple was allowed on the airplane in Boston but once they got to Cancun,they found themselves turned away at the immigration desk. According to Mr. Mann, “I handed over my passport and that was it. We weren’t in the office a minute and they said ‘You have to leave the country.’” And so Moses got his wish-his humans returned home in less than a day instead of leaving him alone for a week.
The moral of this tragic story? First, don’t leave your passport where your puppy can get to it! Second, don’t take chances with a damaged US passport. Get it replaced. If your passport is damaged and you are supposed to leave the country, you do have options other than just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
The first of these options is to make an appointment at a regional Passport Agency office. These special passport offices are equipped to issue passports within 24 hours as long as you have an itinerary to prove that you will be traveling in the next 14 days.
The second, more convenient option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. RushMyPassport will submit your passport application on your behalf directly to the Department of State, for processing times as quick as 24 hours.
Don’t let a damaged US passport ruin your vacation-contact us today!