Last flight of international rescue dogs lands in Toronto ahead of import ban
The last flight of internationally rescued golden retrievers touched down at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Tuesday ahead of a new policy that will ban the import of dogs from more than 100 countries at the end of the month.
At Pearson, emotions ran high as the dogs met their new owners for the first time.
"We've had two previous rescues and it's a great life for them and a great life for us," said Lou Vanderploge who was among more than 40 families adopting the dogs.
The golden retrievers were rescued from shelters in Cairo, Egypt and brought to Canada by the non-profit organization Golden Rescue.
The group has rescued more than 1,700 dogs from abroad, but this is their last international rescue amid the new policy, put in place by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
"It would have been nice if the CFIA had gone in and looked at our policies and procedures," said Dr. Scott Bainbridge, a veterinarian and Golden Rescue board member. "After bringing over 1700 hundred dogs we have never brought a rabid dog over."
The agency says as of Sept. 28, which is World Rabies Day, the entry of commercial dogs from countries it considers at high-risk for canine rabies will be prohibited.
The CFIA defines "commercial dogs" as those for resale, adoption, fostering, breeding, show or exhibition, research and other purposes.
Egypt and Turkey are on the list which are the two countries Golden Rescue imports dogs for adoption.
Since learning of the ban in June, the group has scrambled to bring 130 rescues to Canada.
"There are thousands of dogs in the shelter system - it is a matter of life and death - the conditions, health care are not great," said Dr. Bainbridge.
The agency says the ban is necessary to reduce the risk of dog rabies entering Canada which it says poses a serious health risk to Canadians and their pets and once symptoms appear in humans, the disease is almost always fatal.
According to CFIA, two dogs from Iran imported into Canada with the disease. Canada does not currently have any confirmed cases of dog rabies.
"The importation of even one rabid dog could result in transmission to humans, pets and wildlife," the agency stated in a public notice published in June.
“We are heartbroken by CFIA’s decision, and we are beyond disappointed that CFIA did not reach out to the rescue community prior to making the decision to impose the ban," said Viive Tamm, Golden Rescue’s Board Chair.
"Had they done so, we would have been able to alleviate their concerns regarding the potential for importing rabies into Canada.”
Animal rights advocates and rescue groups are calling for exemptions or modifications to the new measure so they are able to continue their rescue efforts while at the same time keeping the public and domestic animals safe.
"We are strict with vaccine protocol, we actually run rabies titers before they come over to show if they were exposed to rabies they would be protected," said Dr. Bainbridge.
When asked about potential exemptions a CFIA spokesperson stated, "The CFIA has developed an approach that is relevant and proportionate to the current public health risks to animals and people, and takes into account aspects such as the CFIA’s regulatory framework and infrastructure, including quarantine facilities at points of entry."
Unless there are exemptions, Golden Rescue says it will focus its efforts in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.