Would An Animal Shelter Import A Puppy?

[Ingrid H]

A Facebook friend of mine recently posted a rant about an Olympic athlete wanting to bring 4 Sochi puppies home and about how dangerous to the health of our native dogs importing strays can be. We've discussed this practice here on DCF before, but I found an article with more statistics than I was able to lay my hands on at the time. I find it shocking that these large numbers of unvaccinated dogs are crossing into the US.

Here's an excerpt of the article:

Animal shelters in the USA have been casting a wide net to fill their kennels for years. According to the US Public Health Service, Chicago O’Hare was the destination airport for 10,125 dogs imported from overseas in 2006, half of which weren’t vaccinated. Scientists from the Center of Disease Control estimated that over 199,000 dogs (38,100 unvaccinated) came into the country through the Mexican border that year alone, and in 2007, one organization in Puerto Rico by itself shipped more than 14,000 strays in seven years to the United States for adoption at shelters. ABC News reported that according to G. Gale Galland, veterinarian in the CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, as many as 300,000 puppies a year – most from countries with little or no health safeguards, are being imported to satisfy the demand for puppies at shelters.

Here's a link to the entire article: http://animalfeasance.com/2013/09/12/would-an-animal-shelter-import-a-puppy/

 

[Gelcoater]

...and now we know why all the shelters are full.

 

[MyBuddy]

Animal shelters in the USA have been casting a wide net to fill their kennels for years.

Really?! Sheesh, I thought they always complain about them being over filled! 300K??

 

[Ingrid H]

Really?! Sheesh, I thought they always complain about them being over filled! 300K??

I used to think so too, but there was a Puerto Rican street dog at the shelter when I adopted Ladybug 8 years ago. I didn't think much of it at the time, but the importation of foreign strays is becoming more common to hear of.

I wouldn't have a problem with the importation of dogs if they were vaccinated and quarantined so they didn't bring new diseases into our country and endanger our pets. And I wouldn't have a problem with the shelters who do this if they were honest about it and got off our backs for supporting ethical breeders of purebred dogs. Buying a purebred is not killing a shelter animal like the PETA protest signs at the Westminster show claimed!

These shelters won't admit that they have done their job and refuse to go out of business. Just try to tell me that a non-profit's director doesn't get paid... They claim their job is never done as long as there is a homeless dog somewhere in the world.

Why don't we just move more dogs around within our own borders before bringing in parasite infested, diseased, flea-bags? It's already happening and in a responsible way. Here's an example of a dog being relocated to my area from the south-east: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26031397/ Almost Home Rescue of Maine says on that listing, "We contract with Peterson Express Transport Service to bring our dogs to New England. Imported dogs are transported on a USDA approved transport with a Health Certificate. All imported dogs are quarantined 14 days prior to leaving Arkansas or Mississippi." That's way more than what happens with the foreign dogs.

 

[MyBuddy]

First, I'm surprised to even know that animals are shipped here from overseas. We seem to have enough homeless dogs in the US already, don't we?

Second, I'm surprised to learn that they are not quarantined and vaccinated. That makes no sense. Aren't they quarantined when shipped OUT of the US?

Third, who pays for 300,000 animals shipped her for adoption?

 

[FredC]

Maybe there is a conspiracy at hand here to import a plague that could wipe out a large portion of our pet population?

 

[Ingrid H]

First, I'm surprised to even know that animals are shipped here from overseas. We seem to have enough homeless dogs in the US already, don't we?

Second, I'm surprised to learn that they are not quarantined and vaccinated. That makes no sense. Aren't they quarantined when shipped OUT of the US?

Third, who pays for 300,000 animals shipped her for adoption?

1) It depends on where you live. There are enough to ship to other states in some areas.
2) I don't know but think quarantine is up to the country being shipped to. I've heard that it's an absolute nightmare to ship a dog to Australia with their super restrictive quarantine rules.
3) I would imagine it's private donations combined with outrageous adoption fees.

 

[Ingrid H]

Maybe there is a conspiracy at hand here to import a plague that could wipe out a large portion of our pet population?

I really doubt it. I think it's just well meaning people trying to save dogs while not taking into consideration the danger these dogs pose to our native population.

 

[FredC]

I really doubt it. I think it's just well meaning people trying to save dogs while not taking into consideration the danger these dogs pose to our native population.

I used to not buy in to conspiracy theories when i was younger but the older i get the more plausible they seem.

 

[Gelcoater]

I used to not buy in to conspiracy theories when i was younger but the older i get the more plausible they seem.

Am I rubbing off on you?

 

[Quee]

Why don't we just move more dogs around within our own borders before bringing in parasite infested, diseased, flea-bags?

My impression is that breed-specific rescues do just that - my Doberman was relocated from Kentucky to Illinois before I found her, and our Doberman rescue does a lot of transports either to Illinois, or through Illinois to other Doberman rescues if they are full and can't find a local foster. Breed-specific rescues I know of also voraciously scout and have arrangements with the shelters, courts (for court case dogs, and other organizations), to look for Dobermans to get them out of there, so that there is no chance that they're put down, or adopted out without the more intense assessment, treatment and adoption screening the breed-specific rescues live by.

Shelters on the other hand seem to have a wide range of criteria not only for adoption, but for acquiring animals including out of country imports, when their local numbers are down and they have open space. How they decide to go international vs. national is beyond me, as I'd think they would try to get available dogs closer to home before branching out given the heavy transport costs. Doesn't sound like a good idea from the cost, or disease-potential perspective, unless the animals are vaccinated prior to transport.