For decades, animal rescue organizations around the world have worked diligently to facilitate safe adoptions across international borders and give more animals a chance to find a forever home.
As The Daily Paws reports, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hopes to bolster the safety of these adoptions with updated dog importation regulations.
Beginning Aug. 1, 2024, all dogs entering the U.S. must:
- Be at least 6 months of age at the time of entry or return to the United States
- Have an implanted International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-compatible microchip. This must have been implanted prior to any required rabies vaccination
- The microchip number must be documented on all required forms and in all accompanying veterinary records
- Appear healthy upon arrival
- Dogs may not enter the United States if they are carrying a disease contagious to people.
- Isolation of the dog, veterinary examination, and additional testing, at the importer’s expense, may be required to determine if the dog has a contagious disease and prevent spread if the dog does not appear healthy upon arrival
- Have a CDC Dog Import Form receipt
- Have additional documentation of current rabies immunization status
The largest addition to the CDC guidelines is strict additional guidelines regarding dog rabies following a temporary suspension of dog immigration from high-risk countries in 2023.
The CDC has bolstered guidelines due to the disease being over 99% fatal and 100% preventable. Although it has been eradicated in the U.S. since 2007, dog rabies is not controlled in over 100 countries, and rabies vaccinations are not federally mandated in the United States across all 50 states.
Many Rescues Already Adhere to Rules
While stricter guidelines may seem like an imposition on these international animal rescues, that’s not necessarily true. Many rescues already meet the new criteria, including The Sato Project, founded by Chrissy Beckles.
The Sato Project is a nonprofit rescue organization based in Puerto Rico that works to rehome stray dogs from the island to pet parents located on the U.S. mainland. Since 2007, Beckles and her team have rescued and rehomed more than 8,000 of Puerto Rico’s stray dogs.
Their success is largely due to the Sato Project’s unrelenting 14-page vetting and adoption protocol, perfected over time by Beckles with guidance from her mentor Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD, of the University of Florida, who discovered canine influenza.
Beckles and her team spend an average of $2800 in veterinary expenses per healthy dog to make sure they are more than healthy enough to fly to the U.S. Some of these precautions and treatments include:
- PCR tests for distemper and leptospirosis upon intake
- 30-day quarantine
- Routine vaccinations, especially against rabies
Beckles’ standards for her rescue aren’t just enforced out of passion but also out of fear of one of her dogs—or her fellow rescuers’ dogs—being patient zero for a communicable disease outbreak in the U.S.
“It’s going to take one dog on the mainland, and then we’re all going to get shut down,” Beckles says. “I try to tell my fellow rescuers to be as responsible as they can, but not everyone wants to listen. I try to educate them why I do it this way; it’s not because I like paying high vet bills.”
Decrease in North-of-Border Adoptions
Unfortunately, complying with CDC guidelines isn’t the biggest challenge that international rescues are facing. The real obstacle? The U.S. is overwhelmed with dogs. “Our north-of-border (NOB) adoptions are down significantly because NOB shelters are over capacity,” says Darryl Painter, operations team leader at Lucky Dog Rescue and Adoption Center, located in the Lake Chapala region of Jalisco, Mexico. “We currently have 29 dogs at Lucky Dog, and our capacity is 22. Most of our dogs have been at Lucky Dog for over two years.”
Beckles adds, “Up until 18 months ago, I put 363 dogs on two planes and flew them up to New York, and every single one had a place to go before they arrived. I can’t do that anymore. Where we used to get 20-30 applications for a dog, we’re not seeing that now.”
Spaying and Neutering is Key
Until adoptions pick up again, rescue organizations have to pivot their focus to other initiatives, such as combating overpopulation. It’s estimated there are over 600,000 stray dogs in Puerto Rico—the size of Connecticut. “Everyone is so overwhelmed,” says Beckles. “We can’t rescue the numbers we used to, so we’ve had to pivot and look at increasing spay and neuter clinics,” says Beckles. “That’s going to be our focus for this year and for the foreseeable future.”
#OperationSato, launched in 2023, is The Sato Project’s high-volume spay and neuter event that operates every couple of months to spay and neuter, vaccinate, and microchip 300-400 dogs in a few days. Last November, Operation Sato was able to spay and neuter 1200 unaltered dogs in six days and hopes to again reach similar numbers during their November clinic in 2024. Since the launch of #OperationSato, Beckles and her team have noticed a decrease in stray dogs in the municipality of Yabacoa, which is one of the island’s poorest areas and where the clinic routinely operates.
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