Ban on rescue dogs from countries at risk of spreading rabies to remain, CFIA says

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

The federal government says the rule will continue until further notice because of rabies concerns.

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

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

In September 2022, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) banned the commercial import of dogs from more than 100 countries considered high-risk for canine rabies. The ban includes dogs for adoption, fostering, sale, breeding, show and research.

At the time, the CFIA was responding to a case in 2021, when two rescue dogs from Iran were imported and later diagnosed with rabies. The dogs had received a rabies vaccine in Iran that is not licensed in Canada.

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

The ban effectively shut down the work of dozens of international animal rescues in Canada — including importing dogs saved from the dog meat trade in countries like China, the Philippines and Vietnam along with dogs coming from conflict zones like Ukraine, Afghanistan and Haiti.

“Before the ban came into effect, Canada was known as a beacon of hope,” Labchuk said.

“What I really fear is that there’s dogs on the streets who are being shot at, dogs who are suffering because they can’t get veterinary care, dogs in war-torn countries and perhaps 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 U.S., have brought in stringent screening methods to allow dogs to enter safely.

Those include requiring proof of proper vaccination, blood titer tests that check for rabies antibodies and quarantines when needed.

“What we’ve seen now is the United States move away from the ban and towards more reasonable evidence-based measures, while Canada has not,” Labchuk said.

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

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

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

Ottawa veterinarian Kelly Butler, who has a background in public health 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 really a life-and-death disease.”

Canine rabies is a different strain from the rabies found in wildlife. It is extremely fatal — the disease kills 99 per cent of humans and dogs once they start to show symptoms.

While dog rabies isn’t much of a fear in Canada anymore thanks to mass vaccination, the disease continues to kills 59,000 people globally each year.

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

“We can’t be allowing those pets to come into Canada to put our people at risk. It’s pretty straightforward. You just say no.”

The CFIA said it will “continue to explore options for long-term solutions for dog imports.”

Animal Justice said the CFIA hasn’t given her any reason to hope it is working to lift the ban. Her group continues to fight the restrictions, along with dozens of rescue groups, including Soi Dog Foundation, which operates out of Thailand.

“A blanket ban like this is ridiculous, especially with absolutely no exemptions for responsible rescue organizations,” said Lara Pleasence, who rescued her two-legged, senior dog Amira through Soi Dog before the ban came into place.

“It’s really heartbreaking.”