It might be the oldest excuse in the book, but if 'my dog ate it' doesn't work with a teacher, it certainly won't fly with a border officer at an airport.
Unfortunately for one couple though, the classic excuse was actually the truth after their dog chewed up one of their passports just days before they were due to fly to Italy, on their honeymoon.
Maybe the pooch just couldn't stand the thought of being away from their beloved parents for so long!
Donato Frattaroli, of South Boston, and his fiancée are scheduled to fly out to get married in Italy for their wedding.
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Despite getting their paperwork all in order and being more or less ready to go for their flight on Friday, they had an unexpected hiccup.
The pair returned home from filling out their marriage forms at City Hall to find that their 18-month-old golden retriever Chickie had chewed through several pages of Donato's passport, leaving them rushing to replace the travel document ahead of flying on 31 August.
The pair have reached out to their congressman, Stephen Lynch, and even their senator Ed Markey to try and get the document replaced in time for their wedding.
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Frattaroli told WCVB: “I’m just a little stressed. Luckily, Congressman Lynch’s office and Senator Markey’s office have been super responsive. They’ve been in touch, at least with me and the State Department, to try to expedite things and get a new passport.
"Keep my fingers crossed and, hopefully, everything will work itself out.”
The pair also have a plan for if the passport can't be replaced in time, which would sadly mean that he would not be able to travel to Italy for his wedding.
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Donato's fiancée and the wedding party would still go and enjoy the party in Italy, as everything is ready to go, and he would then just meet them upon their return to the USA.
Meanwhile, we're guessing Chickie won't be getting any treats or new toys for the foreseeable future!
It only remains to be seen if a new passport can be processed quickly enough so that the pair can travel and enjoy their nuptials together in Italy.
Fingers crossed that they can still have their dream wedding in the beautiful country!
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Chickie seemed sanguine, despite being in the dog house after chewing up the passport, posing for the news cameras without a care in the world.
Kit Roberts