Please help save our loved ones!

We moved to UK from South Africa 3 months ago, we couldn't leave our loved ones behind and would never contemplate putting them down.
We imported them legally, contacted Defra to find an approved quarantine kennel in our area. Sofar it's costs us dearly @ £3500. We had to pay for airfare, import licence and had to pay the quarantine facility 6 months in advance, we are now 3 months through the period.
At about 6 O'clock this evening we were contacted by Defra informing us that we had to move our dogs tommorow as they were closing the quarantine facility "Knightswood Kennels - Salisbury" the cost of the kennels they're now recommending is £1650 for the remaining 3 months over and above what we have already paid, if we can't afford it they will put our dogs down. I've driven down to Dogs Trust, which closed at 4pm and isn't open tommorow. If anyone has any suggestions that could help at all, please respond urgently, as we just can't afford to pay out Defra's "new recommendation" Please help we don't want to loose them.

Can you please clarify something - had you paid in advance for the whole six months ?

According to the kennels` answerphone which I rang a few minutes ago, its happened because of veterinary support being withdrawn and the kennel owners have not been able to find another which will provide weekend and bank holiday cover.

Is there nothing in the kennels contract [ assuming you have one ? ] which covers something like this ?

Have you contacted any legal services about it ?

This must be a massive worry to you so please forgive me for sounding a bit clinical, I`m just asking these things so if anyone is in a position to advise they will know what steps you have already taken.

edited to add, presumably other owners are in the same situation, is there any possible way you can contact any to see what they are doing, [ long shot I know, sorry ], and can the other kennels offer a payment plan because of the extreme circumstances ?

What about the press, maybe they can help even if just by getting other kennels to offer a goodwill gesture of a payment plan ?

Yes, we have paid in advance for the whole 6 months.
No we don't have a contract.
We've only been in UK for 3 months and have no idea who to contact at this time of night.
Thanks for the response.

According to Defra the kennels only had contact details for 3 people, although they had 46 dogs and 14 cats in quarantine.

Have they offered you a refund for the remaining three months fees that you have paid? Then you can choose whichever facility you prefer?

If so here is a list of kennels in Salisbury, you might want to ring them and find out if they offer a quarantine facilty and how much they would charge for (the remaining) three months:

It would seem to me they owe you half of the £3500 you paid (which you can then use on an alternative Kennel).

I can't add anymore to what the others said, but i'm shocked that they would put dogs to sleep at such short notice. They should give you a refund of the remaing months so you can afford to re kennel your dogs elsewhere. How can this be allowed?

Cant help you...sorry, Im also sorry that you have to deal with DEFRA, they are heartless....my dog was recently flown over here from Germany, the vet in Germany gave an unapproved dewormer and DEFRA threatened to either send her back on the next flight out or euthanize her because I didnt have £187 to pay for the approved dewormer and 24 hours quarrantine. (the guy there I think felt bad and had it reduced to £137)....I asked if they could bill me for it but they said no however they were prepared to fly her back to Germany for over £300 and bill me for that.
Luckily a friend from US helped me out and paid most of it over the phone with his credit card but I dont know what would have happened to my dog had I not been able to get hold of him.

Good luck, I hope someone can help you.

Very sorry to hear this. Won't you get a refund for the time you haven't yet used?

We've been trying to contact the kennels, but just get the answering machine. When we asked Defra we're told to call the Kennels to see if we can get a refund.

Thank you for the list of kennels, however we are only allowed to put them into quarantine kennels.

I'm guessing you can leave messages on the answermachines of the kennels Azz has really kindly listed ( good on ya Azz....you really are a star). I would also leave messages with DEFRA asking if you can find alternative arrangements, also email them through their website, email anyone and everyhone (as I'm sure you are doing) including the national and local press.
Tomorrow morning, phone Dogs Trust head office (most dogs trust kennels close a day a week) also phone your dog warden and council, alos phone a lawyer. I truly wish I could be more help than this and wish you all the best. What an awful thing to happen.

I had a look at the kennels site and found their contract which had to be signed first, and there it says fee`s are payable monthly. I could`nt find anything specific there about kennel closure, but I would *think* [ and I might be wrong ] that if an animal has to be moved through no fault of the owner, that they would have to reimburse anything paid in advance which could then go to the new kennel ?

If there are any legal bods here, the link to the kennels is here

http://www.quarantinekennels.com/quarantine.html

and the form/contract is highlighted for clicking on [ word document ] in section one, top right on the page which should open.

If you can let us know what area you are in, hopefully there are members with numbers for local papers there [ and Salisbury hopefully ], which have night desks open to phone.

Dont know if they will help but there is nothing to lose by calling local and national TV stations to see if they can help you and the other owners in this predicament - they should be listed in the phone book, or a google search should find regional sites with contact numbers.

If you can give the name of the proposed kennels, maybe people here can try ringing to beg for understanding from them for payment time ?

Also, if we know your area, maybe people here might know good solicitors for you to try plus the number of your local CAB though you wont be able to call any til morning.

I cant believe a kennels would put dogs down on something like this, they must have many pets in and would surely get them moved first and let the owners deal with the details later ?
Anyone know of anything similar happening and what heppened ?

I`m struggling to think of what to search for in the way of help / organisations