THE CRUCIBLE OF FOREIGN PET RESCUE

Inside the world of Foreign Pet Importation:   

Canadians Killing with Kindness

Canada:  A Culture of Giving

Canadians are a kind and generous people.  Research from Statistics Canada show that in 2010, about 23.8 million Canadians donated more than $10.6 Billion to charitable and nonprofit organizations and 47% of our population volunteered over 2 Billion hours of unpaid time to help those less fortunate than themselves.  This does not include one of the most remarkable features of Canadian life - the extent to which we reach beyond our families and friends to lift up others in our communities by helping directly (In 2007, 84% gave monetary help outside the domain of charitable organizations).  In spite of revenue Canada's unremarkable tax deductions for charitable donations (as a non-refundable tax credit, it can only be used to reduce tax owed, not taxable income), we dig deep and have no qualms about helping those in need, even when the organization isn't a registered charity.   Moreover, that generosity extends beyond our borders in the form of foreign aid provided by our federal government from our tax dollars.  In 2012, Canada's foreign aid spending totaled over $5.6 Billion, or approximately $165.30 per Canadian.   We give. We care. We help, because we are a nation built upon a culture of compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves. 

A Confusing Legacy

It is this same compassionate spirit that moves us to action when we are made aware of the neglect, abuse and abandonment endured by millions of animals in other countries. If there is a seminal moment in history that shaped the evolution of foreign rescue, it is Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when among others, ad hoc Canadian-based rescue organizations responded to the images of more than 70,000 pets that either perished or were left to fend for themselves. As a result of incredible government shortsightedness and the woefully inadequate Stafford Act , animals were excluded from state and federal evacuation plans and evacuees were prohibited from bringing family pets with them, some of which were shot by deputies rather than brooking any opposition from their owners.  

Stranded dogs during Hurricane Katrina.

(Photo: Courtesy of Niagara Blog) 

The HSUS, deployed by the state to lead the animal rescue operation, had very strict policies concerning which could be exported and where they could go. Animals were supposed to be sent to HSUS-approved shelters and sanctuaries, the ultimate goal being that of reuniting pets with their owners. Despite Louisiana legislation that was passed prohibiting mass transport of rescued animals out of state,  thousands of dogs and cats were relocated, many airlifted to other states as far away as California, others eventually landing in Canadian homes.  Although some of the shelters and rescues posted information on websites for owners desperately looking for their pets, specific details were often lost in the chaos and of the 15,000 that were rescued from the city, only 20% were ever reunited with their owners. 

Overburdened shelters quickly scrambled to find new homes for pets that had not been claimed within an ambiguous holding time while other, less adoptable pets were overlooked and left languishing in shelters over 6 years later.  According to the Louisiana SPCA, animal rescuers flocking to the city in the aftermath forced their way into homes, often illegally, refusing to take any direction from the local SPCA and leaving many homes with "gaping doors and broken windows", vulnerable to looting or worse.  Many owners, upon returning to find where their pets were being held, were horrified to discover that some had already been adopted out to new homes, some as far away as California.  Several of these stories ended in custody lawsuits filed by desperate owners and championed by animal rights lawyers like Steven M. Wise, who felt that the undercurrent driving the re-homing many of the animals was shaped by the belief that richer, whiter families would be better able to care for their pets than they would.   What began with good intentions soon snowballed into a social justice issue tied to people's worthiness to own pets, despite the original cause of their separation having been beyond their control.  

  

...True and tender is the North

Over 100 dogs were transported from shelters
in California to an adoption event organized by
'Thank Dog I Am Out' Rescue on Oct. 4,2014.
(Photo:  Courtesy of VanCityBuzz)

The events surrounding Katrina opened the floodgates here in Canada too where, within a very short time, specialized foreign animal rescue agencies (those who deal specifically with importing pets from other countries) became de rigueur.   Soon, Canadians began supporting the mass movement of injured, neglected and homeless animals they encountered along beaches and streets of popular tourist destinations. Local animal rescues - from individuals to non-profit groups to charitable organizations - quickly became one of the fastest growing sub-groups on Petfinder.com with as many as 80 new Canadian groups joining every year, many of whom deal exclusively in foreign importation.  Rescued pets from exotic locations became fashionable and were often accompanied by tales of human welfare as tenuous as that of other animals.  Add to that the improved ability of websites and social media to virtually connect a global community, and one quick search can provide an adopter with a full bio on a dog waiting for transport from exotic locations such as Israel, Bahamas or Taiwan.  Others are able to select individuals from the 'cargo' of routine transports,  numbering from a couple to as many as 100 dogs at a time, arriving by various means and awaiting adoption. 

The trickle of importation that began with a few individuals helping animals critically in need of rescue has swelled to torrential proportions - with policy, legislation and specific training for CBSA border agents lagging way behind, unable to deal with the growing numbers effectively. Most Canadians are also truly oblivious to the reality of animal homelessness here, where there seems to be a mistaken belief that our pets are 'safe' from such horrors.  It is hidden behind widespread ignorance and its impact is obscured by inadequate representation in the media.  Compounded by the lack of co-operation by many animal care organizations to divulge euthanasia statistics and the government's lack of interest in collecting this data, the true picture of local animal welfare deals a black eye squarely to our Canadian 'culture of compassion'. 

 Collateral Damage

 

Millie and her 6 puppies were rescued from a Northern community 

in Manitoba.  (Photo: Courtesy of 'Here There and Everywhere in 

Canadian Animal Rescue' Blog)

The mass importation of foreign rescue animals is not without its entanglements, however.  The widespread belief that there is a lack of homeless animals in Canada belies a much more shocking reality. It is currently estimated that there are over 2,000,000 homeless dogs in Canada (1 million alone estimated to be free-roaming on reserves across Northern Canada).   Every year, in remote northern communities that lack access to veterinary services, hundreds of free-roaming dogs and puppies are routinely shot in unregulated dog culls to control their population - an exercise that has attracted participants by using  bounties - as much as $100 per head for every dog killed.   Of those that survive, many are mortally wounded in the process and are left to die a slow and painful death which can take several days.  

Elsewhere in our country, cats and dogs in 'kill-for-space' shelters are being euthanized by the hundreds of thousands, some still using gas chambers to expedite the task.  Even among people who are aware of gassing at shelters, there is a mistaken understanding that the animals just fall asleep peacefully.   The realities, however, can be far more gruesome.  From the HSUS euthanasia gas chamber fact sheet:

     "These animals are placed into a small, dark, hot box, filled with the lingering smells of the animals who came before them—many of whom sweated, urinated, defecated before dying. If placed in the chamber with more than one animal, they may begin fighting out of fear and desperation. The strange sights, sounds, and noises often escalate the panic. For several minutes they may exist in this state of terror, clawing and calling for a way out. They may struggle to for air or begin convulsing before finally losing consciousness ...Under the best circumstances it takes minutes before an animal loses consciousness inside a gas chamber, during which time she experiences this terror. But if the animal is young, old, ill, injured, or highly stressed, it can take much, much longer. In the worst cases, the animal is still conscious while his vital organs begin to shut down. In some cases, the animal actually lives through this nightmare, only to find herself in the box for a second try."  

In fact, it is estimated that over 500,000 dogs and cats are euthanized every year in the province of Quebec alone, many coinciding with their July 1st province-wide moving date. During this time, tenants who have signed leases with no-pet clauses abandon or relinquish their pets, increasing the burden on a shelter and rescue system already overcrowded from puppy mill seizures. Additionally, it is estimated that 600,000 homeless cats did not find homes in 2011, and at least 41% of shelter cats (grossly underestimated due to the lack of data) are euthanized.  

Kelsey was rescued from a garbage bin, abandoned and thrown

out like trash in Northern Manitoba. (Photo:

Courtesy of 'Here There and Everywhere in Canadian Animal 

Rescue' Blog)

What is unforgivable are the organizations that are aware of the realities yet continue to obfuscate them and play to our compassionate nature as an opportunity for profit and exploitation. These groups refer to themselves with approbation as foreign rescues, spiriting away shipment after shipment of dogs and cats from far-away places, without contributing any efforts to alleviate the underlying animal welfare issues in the originating countries.  Many of them take full advantage of the generosity and desperation of the local rescue people who are faced with pet overpopulation challenges of their own and looking for any viable solution.  Animal lovers, who do all the hard work in these countries, work on shoestring budgets and often pay for the veterinary care and transport just to get as many dogs as possible out to 'safety'.  The dogs are loaded into transport vehicles and moved (sometimes without proper veterinary exams and adequate vaccinations), sometimes ending up in limbo, warehoused in kennels for undisclosed periods of time while they await adoption, or are seized at the border and at risk of being euthanized because they failed to meet what minimal requirements do exist for importation.

More often than not, however, the dogs will easily enter our country fully sponsored, leaving the adoption fees and donations to be collected by the importing groups, many of whom are registered with Revenue Canada as 'charitable organizations', with little or no monetary help in sight for the rescues in those faraway places.  Many of these mass shipments are puppies and small dogs, both of which are cheaper to transport, some with serious health and behavioural problems.  Often ending in a quick turnaround to adoptive homes with little or no follow-up, it bears the hallmarks of an offshore puppy mill, with all the associated animal welfare issues and profit motivations.  Although there are a few rescues that deal ethically with foreign pets, there are the unscrupulous groups that collect up litters of puppies and leave the mother dogs behind, without spaying or providing her with  basic veterinary care, at risk of becoming pregnant again and feeding the already vicious cycle of pet overpopulation. All of this happens while thousands of puppies right here are seized from puppy mills, abandoned in fields, thrown out in dumpsters or cardboard boxes and rescued from northern dog culls only to languish in rescues and shelters, while they await adoptive homes. 

  

Out of the frying pan...

But what of those animals that are moved, sometimes packed by the dozens in truckloads, sometimes by travellers who make a snap decision to save a dog they met on vacation?  Ground transport by truck or van can be dangerous as 'rescue transporters' often drive long distances without breaks (for them or the dogs) leading to crashes and rollovers.  International flights from exotic destinations can have complex routing, connections and layovers.  This means that a dog could potentially be crated, without respite, for periods of time that amount to nothing short of animal abuse.  Even shorter flights are not without their challenges to animal welfare and require experience and compassion to co-ordinate.  Cargo areas without climate control, no consistency in regulations and protocols from one airline to another and a lack of oversight means some dogs may sit, overheated and exhausted, in their own urine and feces for hours with no access to water (which may have been displaced from their bowl during handling or turbulence) and unable to relieve themselves.  The good rescues work to minimize these challenges. The bad ones just don't care. 

Donation page to 'Help Save Leo' the paralyzed dog, so that he 

could be brought to Canada from Thailand. He was in 'cargo' 

transit for over 30 hours, unable to control his bladder or bowels. 

(Photo: Courtesy of GoFundMe) 

Recently, a desperate plea was circulated through the rescue community by a young woman requesting help with a dog who she had made arrangements to import from Thailand.  'Leo' as he has been named, was paralyzed and was found on the beach dragging his body around by his two front legs.  Leo had a severe tick infestation and a severed spinal cord, the apparent cause of his paralysis and leading to horrible abrasions on his knees and hind legs. At the time of his 'rescue', he was also diagnosed with a urinary blockage from bladder stones. 

The Canadian traveller managed to recruit the assistance of a Thai veterinarian to prepare him to be shipped to Ottawa - a minimum 30 hour transit in the cargo-hold of a plane - a nightmare for a disabled dog who was under veterinary orders for a catheter to express his bladder and who later  developed bloody urine due to an infection. She started a facebook page and GoFundMe campaign that raised over $6100.00 and which was to be used to pay for transportation and veterinary costs for his care.  Three months later, Leo is now in Canada with no foster and no set plans for an adoptive home.  The young tourist, having reached out in the hopes that one of the Canadian rescues in Ottawa would take him, found his daily care was too large of a commitment, one neither she nor her family were willing to make. Given that he is paralyzed, has no bowel control, cannot express his own bladder, has bladder stones and wounds and abrasions on his knees where they dragged on the pavement, it will take a very special person indeed.  In the interim, Leo has been effectively abandoned, without any follow-up veterinary care and with no adoptive home.  Would the veterinarian in Thailand, being made aware of Leo's uncertain fate awaiting this soul, be convinced that this was the best outcome?  Linda Rohdin, from Air Angels described the situation this way:

"We all agree this wasn't well thought out.... Let's blame the press for promoting a desire in pet lovers to read their name in headlines & 'save a life' story - a death row syndrome ....lately I've read several articles about individuals, not groups, not 'team players', not individuals who have a history of researching or being mentored in the rescue world....individuals who simply react. The Press rarely, if ever, does a follow up story on the results of [these individuals'] actions....Ego, prestige & two seconds of fame....I think that's what fuels the desire & somewhere in the background is a love for animals."

The questions that this raises in the minds of so many is why this traveller wouldn't have reached out to one of the local rescues in Thailand and tried to help Leo get care there?  Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket has a sponsorship program and is committed to "improving the welfare of dogs and cats in Thailand, resulting in better lives for both the animal and human communities, to end animal cruelty, and to ultimately create a society without homeless animals".  This organization has reached a milestone of over 71,000 dogs and cats sterilized as of August, 2014 and has rescued dogs and cats in the most dire of circumstances. I am sure they would have been willing to help and would have been thankful for the monetary assistance.  Since many Thai vets will not euthanize under any circumstances as it is contrary to their beliefs, Leo would have been guaranteed humane care.  

In a rough calculation, $6150.00 (the amount she collected through her GoFundMe campaign) could pay for a local rescue inThailand to spay/neuter a minimum of 70-80 dogs. This is based on my best guess from what we were quoted by vets that do a lot of spay/neuter surgeries for rescues in foreign countries (@ $70-80US).  It can be higher, but the rescues often work directly with compassionate veterinarians that deeply discount their services to help with pet overpopulation locally. In fact, our source in Thailand indicated that a spay/neuter for a dog could be procured for around 1,000-1500 Baht or $30-45 US!  Given that an intact female and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies within 6 years, spaying 70 dogs would potentially prevent the birth of 4,690,000 puppies!!  Instead, this poor soul, who could have easily been sponsored in Thailand and spared this ordeal, sits in limbo, a victim of lack of foresight and commitment. Truly, this is a colossal tragedy. 

[UPDATE: After his arrival on October 19th, Leo was finally transported from a pet sitter in Ottawa to a foster home in Sarnia, Ontario on October 28th. A veterinary visit was scheduled for October 31st.]

We see them scratching out a marginal existence on the fringes of foreign societies or languishing in high-kill shelters south of the border and we feel compelled to help.  Our compassion turns to guilt as pets around the world are faced with death or worse while we live under the naive belief that ours are safe, warm and loved.  Ask any Canadian if they are aware that we shoot stray dogs for population control or if those that are considered 'surplus', unwanted and unloved, are stuffed into gas chambers crying, screaming, defecating and dying while trying to catch their last breath.  The majority will look at you in horror and likely answer with an emphatic: 'No way - not in Canada'.  Yes, we Canadians kill dogs.

VSPCA provides rescue, sanctuary and sterilization
for street dogs in India. They also feed the 
'poorest of the poor' humans living at the margins
of society. (Photo: Courtesy of VSPCA website)  

Organizations and individuals wanting to help to alleviate poor animal welfare in other nations should be taking their example from groups who help to alleviate poor child welfare in other nations. Their approach is a holistic one: Educating and assisting individuals, families, and communities to become self-sustaining. They do not work on the premise that bringing truckloads of malnourished, ill, homeless and dying children to Canada is a solution; instead, they target local initiatives that are sustainable and support long-term goals.  Working at different levels within the community, they make noticeable improvements over time.  An ethical rescue will have 'boots on the ground' and contribute money and service to sustainable outreach programs and spay/neuter clinics in the communities from which they are importing to help stem the pet overpopulation crisis. They will also help to address the human welfare challenges that ultimately underlie those of animal welfare such as marginalization, poverty and lack of infrastructure and education.  Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals (VSPCA) is one such organization located in India.  Their mission of improving the conditions for animals there, includes providing spay/neuter and veterinary care to over 80,000 street dogs, a 'Kindness Farm' sanctuary, and an insightful initiative that provides vegan meals for poor and  homeless people who in turn offer their first morsels of food to the dogs with whom they share the streets.  These types of organizations become part of the bigger sustainable measures, not just offer a band-aid to a country that is hemorrhaging dogs and cats.  If they aren't doing that, they're just brokers, merely engaging in wholesale importation of foreign animals and wrapping it up in a tidy 'rescue' package. 

The Numbers Game 

So how many animals are we really talking about? The media has been quick to pick up stories about individuals and organizations saving dogs from abuse and neglect in other countries.  Collecting statistics on the actual numbers of imported animals has proven to be a challenge, however, since nobody seems to be keeping track.  There are three government agencies whose responsibility it should be to monitor, screen and regulate the importation of pets into Canada:  The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) and Statistics Canada.  Shockingly, none of these agencies are in the habit of collecting any numbers or details. At any given time, they are completely unaware of how many dogs and cats are crossing the border by land or air.  Insufficient (or non-existent) data collection makes it virtually impossible to arrive at true figures and this lack of hard numbers makes advocacy to improve standards that much more daunting a task.

But a small independent group of rescue and transport volunteers, Canadian Rescue Standards & Best Practices, advocating for the improvement of  pet importation standards for over two years, has dedicated hundreds of hours doing what the government has failed 

(Photo: Courtesy of CRSBP)

to do.  With the help of several colleagues, co-founders Linda Rohdin and Kim Faulkes have an objective of documenting and tracking the importation of dogs into Canada by rescues and shelters for which they have accumulated a wealth of data - the hard way. 

By working with Canadian rescue transporters such as Air Angels and Pilots 'n Paws Canada and networking within an extensive community, they have managed to compile an extensive list of rescues known to import canines by ground transport or as cargo on flights into Canada.  Adding the names of agencies that are known to solicit the help of individual travellers to accompany the dogs as 'escorts', they scoured thousands of social media and website posts for details about place of origin, transport legs (handing off dogs to a new transport person in specified cities to complete the 'relay') numbers and follow-up as to where the dogs ended up once they arrived.  

On other occasions, instead of shipping the dogs as cargo on airlines like West Jet or Air Transat, the dogs are relocated by American air rescue transport organizations like Wings of Rescue or Freedom Train Animal Rescue Transports.  The Canadian Standards group's methods are both labour-intensive and time-consuming but their commitment has not waned.  In fact their passion for action is constantly being renewed as their research continues to shine a light on the scope of pet importation transgressions that are occurring right under the  noses of the CFIA and CBSA.  Their research has revealed an influx of nearly 1000 dogs imported into Ontario alone from January-October, 2014. Factoring in the numerous importations that happen 'under the radar' then multiplying to account for 10 provinces engaging in routine foreign importation as part of their order of business, and with some provinces like British Columbia who have already imported thousands of dogs from California shelters, we are likely looking at numbers in the tens of thousands per year.  All of this while hundreds of thousands are being euthanized, languish in shelters or are being shot within Canada.  Incredible. 

Worms and Germs

Besides the animal welfare implications of pet importation, there are the additional considerations that must be made when veterinary requirements are either not being met or where standards are inadequate to protect our own pets from imported zoonotic diseases.  In response to the influx of dogs rescued from Louisiana post-Hurricane Katrina and after the government relaxed importation regulations so that more of these animals could be brought into Canada, there was a noticeable spike in the incidence of heartworm disease.  The following is an excerpt from a 2009 SUN article by Peter Worthington:

"According to the Hamilton Academy of Veterinarian Medicine, a 'huge increase' in heartworm disease in dogs - 10X the normal in 2008 - threatens to reach epidemic proportions and will take years to curtail. The prime reason: Abandoned dogs imported from Louisiana by the Hamilton SPCA after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 which hadn't been adequately tested...What started as a humane gesture...has become a fixture with humane societies in Southern Ontario. In 2008, some 600 dogs from Louisiana reached Hamilton SPCA, most under 8 months old that have nothing to do with hurricane season. The puppies, billed as 'rescued', were sold for adoption by the Hamilton SPCA for $470 each. Most of the imported dogs are supplied by the Louisiana dog rescue firm BARK (Boudreaux Animal Rescue Krewe) which gets dogs from across the southern states - prime heartworm country."

Heartworm Positive dog looking
for foster to be imported from 
Georgia to Nova Scotia.
(Photo: Courtesy of CRSBP)

A study on 'Heartworm in dogs in Canada in 2010' which was published by the Ontario Veterinary College's Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph revealed a 60% increase in the number of dogs in Ontario diagnosed with heartworm since the last study of its kind was conducted in 2002. The Canada-wide study showed that 564 dogs  tested positive for heartworm in Canada in 2010. Of those, 431 were located in Ontario (that's more than 75% of the total).  Heartworm is an expensive disease to treat and is fatal if left untreated. 

But heartworm is not the only looming danger when pet importation is under-regulated and poorly enforced.  In his 'Worms and Germs' blog, Dr. Scott Weese of the Ontario Veterinary College's Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses discussed a 2011 study in which 414 dogs and 15 cats that had been recently transported from the Gulf Coast region post-Katrina  "showed evidence of previous or current vector-borne infections" with 49% and 56% having been exposed to Heartworm and West Nile virus respectively.

More recently, the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) reported a cluster of Canine Brucellosis cases which could be traced back to dogs that had been imported from Mexico.  In August 2012, the Ontario Ministry of Health released a disease advisory about a rescue group that had been importing dogs from Greece, several of which were later diagnosed with Leishmaniasis, another disease which is not endemic to Canada but whose origins can be traced back to areas along the Mediterranean coast and the Southern USA and Mexico.   

Young puppy being treated for Canine Parvovirus.   
(Photo: Courtesy of PetBucket.com)

Canine Parvovirus and Canine Distemper are two other diseases that wreak havoc when introduced to a healthy population.  Both are acute, highly contagious and carry a grim prognosis, especially for puppies between 6-20 weeks of age. In cases where rescuers are circumventing importation laws, the dogs may look healthy enough to be put on a transport but any of them harbouring the contagious disease could infect every other dog on that transport and subsequently at adoption events, foster homes or even in an  unsuspecting adopter's household.  Ultimately, the practice of importing stray animals into a country without the enforcement of effective standards and guidelines is reckless and shows no regard for the health and safety of its citizens or their animals.   Yet, despite this, every year tens of thousands of rescue animals cross the border, often without proper veterinary details and, sometimes, under false pretenses.

Legislation. Awareness. Advocacy 

It is truly staggering how very few Canadians are aware that our archaic, 100-year-old federal legislation still treats our companion animals as property.  Under the Criminal Code of Canada, your Rex and Fluffy are protected from 'WILFUL AND FORBIDDEN ACTS IN RESPECT OF CERTAIN PROPERTY: Cattle and other animals' - SECTION 444-447- right between 'interfering with international boundary marks' and 'counterfeit money'.  They have no more fundamental rights than a table or your old sofa.  Although each province has managed to create their own version of animal welfare legislation to fill in the gaps, most of the existing laws are toothless and when they are enforced, which isn't very often, it seldom leads to a conviction because of the need to prove that an act was intentional. 

 

An example of how 'rescues'' importing foreign dogs are

managing to circumvent the regulations at the

Canadian Border in an effort to deliberately deceive

the CBSA and CFIA. (Photo: Courtesy of CRSBP)  

Plato once said, "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly while bad people will always find a way around the laws". The knee-jerk reaction by unscrupulous rescues to tightening protocols and regulations seems to be one of defensive name-calling and an unwillingness to acknowledge the real weaknesses inherent in the current system. The fact that there is recently a push for stricter standards and regulations is not a reflection on the rescue agencies whose ethics encourage responsible policies for rescuing foreign pets. In fact, most of the reputable rescues welcome the changes. Recently, in response to mounting concerns about the health of puppies being brought into the country,  the CFIA rescinded an eight year old rule that had been allowing animal rescues to import puppies -almost without restriction- since 2005.  The original provisions had been made to ease the transition for Hurricane Katrina dogs making their way into Canadian homes.  As of November, 2013, "rescued dogs under 8 months of age and destined for an animal welfare organization are no longer eligible for import". However, no sooner has stricter legislation been implemented than some rescues, bent on illegal importation, have found a way around it by seeking out 'escorts' to bring in foreign dogs under the guise of being 'personal pets'.  

In the absence of reasonable importation legislation, one organization, Air Angels, voluntarily created its own transport standards and has supported international groups by trying to educate the public on safe procedures.  Although there are some that have risen above the low bar set by the CFIA, many just aren't concerned enough to make it a priority. 

Provided that rescues and shelters increase the transparency of import activities so that both their donors and our veterinary and public health agencies can assess the risks and benefits, and provided that public policy reflects a commitment to local, responsible pet ownership initiatives, humane relocation can be helpful. The caveat is that without a concomitant increase in funding of local, sustainable spay/neuter programs and public outreach in the region of export, the transportation chess game that currently exists poses an enormous animal welfare and public health challenge and ultimately does nothing to address the tragedies of pet overpopulation. This is why the ethical rescue would have already visited the community from which they import and partnered with agencies there to assist them with their responsible pet ownership programs.

Ask questions! It is incumbent on each and every one of us who is truly committed to improving animal welfare to do our due diligence when dealing with any rescue organization. They are not all created equal and although there are many dedicated individuals who represent ethical rescues with sound practices, sadly, there are several who have become very adept not only at circumventing our importation regulations and tax laws but who are masters at manipulating well-meaning, intelligent people who feel compelled to help.  These are the rescues who manufacture their own truths, seek to distort or minimize the reality of animal welfare issues in Canada and continue to broker and import pets under false pretenses for the sake of profit. These are also the other rescues who despite having good intentions, are not fulfilling their responsibility to the animals they rescue nor to our public health system when they choose not to educate themselves about importation regulations.  We should be writing our policy-makers and legislators to ensure that our health, that of our pets and the welfare of animals both within and outside of Canada is impacted by neither the laxity nor lack of enforcement of our laws.  

We owe it as much to each other as we do to other animals. 

As Ernest Dimnet once wrote:  "The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things".  Let's do better to protect our culture of compassion. 

Additional Resources

We urgently need the help of Canadians (pet owners or not) to raise awareness about this very important issue that affects us all. Please consider contacting one of the following agencies to ask questions and get answers. You may also wish to write to your local Member of Parliament or Member of Provincial Parliament and demand that this be brought forward on the next agenda:

Canadian Regulatory Bodies and Associations

 

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
339 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K1R 7K1
Tel: (613) 236-1162 / (800) 567-2862
admin@cvma-acmv.org
http://www.canadianveterinarians.net/

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Connie Rajzman  Connie.Rajzman@inspection.gc.ca
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/imports/policies/live-animals/pets/dogs/eng/1331876172009/1331876307796 

Health Canada
Rona Ambrose, Federal Minister of Health 
rona.ambrose@parl.gc.ca
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/contact/ahc-asc/minist-eng.php 

College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC)
107-828 Harbourside Drive
North Vancouver, BC  V7P 3R9
Tel: (604) 929-7090 / (800) 463-5399
Fax: (604) 929-7095
reception@cvbc.ca
www.cvbc.ca

Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA)
Building #3, Elm Business Park
Suite 104, 9452 - 51 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta  T6E 5A6
Tel: (780) 489-5007 / (800) 404-2862
Fax: (780) 484-8311
abvmainfo@abvma.ca
www.abvma.ca
Dr. Phil Buote 
Deputy Registrar / Complaints Director  phil.buote@abvma.ca

Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association (SVMA)
202-224 Pacific Avenue
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan  S7K 1N9
Tel: (306) 955-7862
Fax: (306) 975-0623
Judy Currie, DVM  
svma@svma.sk.ca
www.svma.sk.ca

Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA)
1590 Inkster Blvd.
Winnipeg, Manitoba  R2X 2W4
Tel: (204) 832-1276 / (866) 338-6862
Fax: (204) 832-1382
Michelle Martin-Strong
alear@mvma.ca www.mvma.ca

Ontario Veterinary Medical Association
420 Bronte Street South,Suite 205
Milton, Ontario  L9T 0H9
Tel: (905) 875-0756 / (800) 670-1702
Fax: (905) 875-0958 / (877) 482-5941
info@ovma.org
http://www.ovma.org/ 

College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO)
2106 Gordon St. 
Guelph, Ontario  N1L 1G6
Tel: (519) 824-5600 / (800) 424-2856
Fax: (519) 824-6497 / (888) 662-9479
inquiries@cvo.org
www.cvo.org 

Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec (OMVQ)

800 avenue Ste-Anne, bureau 200St-Hyacinthe, Québec  J2S 5G7
Tel: (450) 774-1427 / (800) 267-1427
Fax: (450) 774-7635
info@omvq.qc.ca
www.omvq.qc.ca

Prince Edward Island Veterinary Medical Association (PEIVMA)
The Farm Centre Building
420 University Ave. Suite 100
Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7Z5
Tel: (902) 367-3757
Fax: (902) 838-5077
Dr. Gary Morgan  
admin.peivma@gmail.com
www.peivma.com

New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association (NBVMA)
1700 Manawagonish Rd. 
Saint John, New Brunswick  E2M 3Y5
Tel: (506) 635-8100
Fax: (506) 635-2903
Dr. George Whittle 
nbvma@rogers.com
www.nbvma-amvnb.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador College of Veterinarians (NLVetCollege)
P.O. Box 718
Carbonear, Newfoundland A1Y 1C2
Tel: (709) 597-4117
Fax: (709) 596-1506
nlvetcollege@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/site/nlvetcollege

Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association (NSVMA)
15 Cobequid Rd. 
Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia  B4C 2M9
Tel: (902) 865-1876
Fax: (902) 865-2001
Dr. Frank Richardson 
info@nsvma.ca
www.nsvma.ca

Northwest Territories 
Department of Social Services
Government of the Northwest Territories
Box 1320,  CST-8
Yellowknife, NT  X1A 2L9
Tel: (867) 920-8058
Fax: (867) 873-0484
professional_licensing@gov.nt.ca
www.hlthss.gov.nt.ca

Nunavut 
Registrar, Department of Health and Social Services
Government of Nunavut
Box 390
Kugluktuk, NU  X0B 0E0
Tel: (867) 982-7655/7668
Fax: (867) 982-7640/3256
hssnunavutregistrar@gov.nu.ca
www.gov.nu.ca

The Plight our Northern dogs in Canada:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/02/02/volunteers-struggle-to-reduce-wild-dog-population-plaguing-native-reserves/
http://mylifewiththecritters.blogspot.ca/2013/09/we-canadians-kill-dogs.html
http://mylifewiththecritters.blogspot.ca/2013/09/part-two-scope-of-problem.html
http://spokeonline.com/2014/02/stray-dogs-killed-in-canada-too/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/brandon-shelter-forced-to-euthanize-young-dogs-1.965090
http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2014-01/jan27_14dog.html
http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2014/10/17/struggle-to-control-dangerous-stray-dogs-across-northern-canada/
http://dogswithnonames.com/
http://pawsforhope.org/building-capacity-to-rescue-the-removed-and-remote-vancouver-island-dog-rescue-society/

Foreign rescues:

http://pawsforhope.org/building-capacity-to-rescue-the-removed-and-remote-vancouver-island-dog-rescue-society/
http://www.examiner.com/article/warning-signs-of-a-bad-rescue
http://furever.ca/when-animal-rescue-groups-dont-measure-up/
http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/give-us-your-mangy-masses/
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/cindy-bruckart/impact-importing-dogs
http://globalnews.ca/news/1599077/watch-canadians-head-south-of-the-border-to-adopt-some-furry-friends/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2518371/Canadas-dog-shortage-solved-Las-Vegas-charity-rescued-1-000-homeless-dogs-certain-death-sold-500-north-border.html
http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/2053692-potcakes-up-for-adoption/

Standards and Regulations:

http://www.torontopetdaily.com/2014/05/some-must-read-statistics-on-canadas.html
https://www.facebook.com/ArtsAirAngelsAnimalRescueTransferSociety/posts/124662817725714
http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/anp/2013/12/13/canada-prohibits-puppy-imports-by-animal-welfare-agencies/
http://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/canadian-standards-of-care-in-animal-shelters

Post-Hurricane Katrina:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/08/7-years-after-katrina-new-orleans-is-overrun-by-wild-dogs/261530/2/

Advocacy:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-mass-importation-of-puppies-into-canada.html
http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/dog-rescue-overseas-arguments-for-against-sochi-russia-winter-olympics-stray-dogs

http://www.islanddogsrescue.com/why-we-dont-import/