Dog vs. Passport: Rugby Star’s Travel Scare

New Zealand rugby player Leroy Carter experienced a pre-departure mishap when his dog chewed his passport just before the team’s scheduled departure for Argentina, according to reports. The All Blacks are scheduled to fly to Argentina this Friday for the Rugby Championship.

Carter’s initial selection to the All Blacks roster took a turn when he discovered his passport had been damaged by his dog only days ahead of the team’s trip to Argentina.

The 26-year-old shared that he had placed his passport on his bedside table. Subsequently, his partner left for the gym, leaving their dog unattended at home, which led to the unfortunate incident.

“I had taken my passport out to snap a photo to send to the team manager and left it on my bedside table,” Carter explained.

“My partner went to the gym and left our dog at home. It must’ve gone down the hallway, jumped on the bed, and just chewed through the passport — and my teeth aligners too.

“It was a bit of a shambles yesterday. I was scrambling to get an emergency passport sorted, but I think we’ve got it all sorted now. Honestly, I kind of expected something like this to happen to me — no point stressing, just had to sort it out.”

They will commence their campaign against Argentina in Cordoba next week.

Leroy Carter, who was instrumental in New Zealand securing a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and also represented his country in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics, earned his All Blacks call-up after an impressive Super Rugby season with the Waikato Chiefs.

He mentioned that he was having breakfast with his partner when he received the unexpected call.

“I got a call from a private number,” Carter recalled.

“I figured if there was ever a time to answer one of those, this was it. It was Scott Robertson congratulating me on my selection.

“I honestly can’t remember much of what he said after that. I was emotional, just stoked. The boys were buzzing for me, but I was still in a bit of shock.”