Don’t Prohibit Rescues From Saving International Dogs

Target: Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Goal: Prevent legislation that will ban Canada from rescuing dogs in over 100 countries.

A new policy recently enacted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has shocked the Canadian public, leaving animal activists and dog lovers throughout the country heartbroken and confused. As per this federal ban, dogs will no longer be able to be imported from over 100 countries all over the world, including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Philippines, and China and other countries considered to be “high risk” for rabies. This means that the many dog rescue programs that Canada currently facilitates–including the saving of dogs from horrific conditions in other countries to be fostered and adopted out on Canadian grounds–will be prohibited once and for all. Canadian rescuers will not even be allowed to save dogs from countries where they are bred and brutally killed for their meat. Many other dogs will be killed in overcrowded shelters or left to suffer on the streets of war-ravaged countries as a result, instead of finding loving forever homes in Canada.

While similar protective policies have been adopted by other countries, like the United States, exemptions are typically made for dog rescue organizations. In the U.S., the import of rescue dogs from “high risk” countries is allowed so long as these dogs meet vaccination and quarantine requirements. Rabies in dogs can be easily detected through veterinary checks and scans and with proper protocols from trusted veterinarians and dog rescues, and the adopting out of rabies-infected dogs is highly preventable.

Sign this petition to demand this CFIA policy be amended to exclude dog rescue groups from the ban. These animals are counting on us.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

As of recently, the public has been made aware of the CFIA’s plans to ban further importation of dogs from countries considered to be “high risk” for rabies. This policy would prevent the rescue of dogs in over 100 countries–including China and the Philippines where dogs are raised and killed for their flesh, and Ukraine and Afghanistan where ongoing wars render thousands of helpless dogs without food, shelter, or other basic needs. Prohibiting the intervention of Canada-based rescue organizations in these foreign affairs is absolutely heartbreaking, and will likely result in the shutting-down of many amazing groups who dedicate their lives to the relocation of these dogs into safe, loving homes.

Several other countries have similar policies in place to prevent the spread of rabies within their own confines. However, these countries–such as the United States–tend to exclude dog rescue groups from such bans, so long as imported dogs meet vaccination and quarantine requirements. Rabies is easily detected with preliminary veterinary checks–which most rescue groups conduct anyway–and the distribution of infected dogs is highly preventable.

We are asking you, Mr. Trudeau, to please exempt animal rescue organizations from this new policy and allow adoptable dogs into the country. We must not turn our backs on these animals in their times of need.

Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Woody Hibbard