CFIA says ban on rescue dogs from countries at risk of rabies outbreak to continue

Animal advocacy groups are pushing to end the ban on importing rescue dogs into Canada — more than three years after what was supposed to be a temporary measure was put in place.

The federal government says the rule will remain in place until further notice due to rabies concerns.

“Canada is now the only country in the world that has such a restrictive, explicit ban,” said Camille Labchuk, a lawyer and executive director of Animal Justice, a nonprofit legal group that has tried unsuccessfully to fight the ban in court.

Animal organizations like theirs say the policy prevents healthy animals from legitimate international rescues from finding homes in Canada.

In September 2022, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Commercial import of dogs banned from more than 100 countries Dogs are considered at high risk for rabies. The restrictions include dogs for adoption, fostering, selling, breeding, showing, and research.

At the time, the CFIA was responding to a case in 2021, When two rescue dogs from Iran Imported and later diagnosed with rabies. The dogs were vaccinated in Iran for rabies which is not licensed in Canada.

Canada is now the only country in the world with such a restrictive, explicit ban.– Camille Labchuk, Animal Justice

The ban effectively shut down dozens of international animal rescue operations in Canada – including dogs rescued from the dog meat trade in countries such as China, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as the import of dogs coming from conflict zones such as Ukraine, Afghanistan and Haiti.

“Before the sanctions were imposed, Canada was known as a beacon of hope,” Labchuk said.

“What I’m really afraid of is that there are dogs on the streets that are being shot, there are dogs that are suffering because they can’t get veterinary care, there are dogs in war-torn countries and maybe even dogs being eaten in the dog meat trade, all because Canada refuses to lift this ban,” she said.

Labchuk says all other Western countries, including Europe and the US, have brought in stringent screening methods to allow dogs to enter safely.

These include requiring proof of proper vaccination, blood titer tests that check for rabies antibodies, and quarantine when necessary.

“What we’ve seen right now is the United States moving away from restrictions and moving toward more appropriate evidence-based measures, while Canada is not doing the same,” Labchuk said.

But in a statement to CBC News, the CFIA says screening measures are not an absolute guarantee — and the public health risks are serious.

“The rabies titer test is not a diagnostic or screening test for rabies exposure. Rather, it helps evaluate whether the animal’s immune system has responded acceptable to vaccination,” the CFIA wrote in a response to CBC News.

The CFIA also states that the incubation period for rabies in dogs is six months, making quarantine difficult. (One of the dogs from Iran developed symptoms of rabies just half a year after being imported to Canada.)

Kelly Butler, an Ottawa veterinarian who has a public health background and has worked for the CFIA, said the ban is necessary to protect both humans and pets.

“We need to keep it out of the country and protect our pets from it,” Butler said.

“The danger to people is beyond imagination… rabies is truly a disease of life and death.”

Canine rabies is a different type of rabies than that found in wildlife. It is extremely fatal – the disease kills 99 percent of humans and dogs as soon as symptoms begin to appear.

Although dog rabies is no longer a fear in Canada due to mass vaccination, the disease continues to kill 59,000 people globally each year.

“These are countries where rabies is endemic in dogs,” Butler said.

“We cannot allow those pets to come into Canada to put our people at risk. It’s that simple. You just say no.”

The CFIA said it would “continue to explore options for a long-term solution to dog importation.”

Animal Justice said that the CFIA has given them no reason to expect that it will be working to overturn the ban. His group continues to fight the sanctions along with dozens of rescue groups, including the Soi Dog Foundation, which operates out of Thailand.

“This kind of blanket ban is ridiculous, especially with no exemptions for responsible rescue organizations,” said Lara Pleasence, who rescued her two-legged, senior dog, Amira, through Soi Dog before the ban went into effect.

“It’s really heartbreaking.”