EDITORIAL – Federal ban on rescue-dog imports is nonsensical and inhumane

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

DOGS, YOU GOTTA LOVE ‘EM.

And, of course, we do. It’s as if it were the law. They’re part of the family. We take them for daily walks, teach them to “shake a paw,” spend ridiculous amounts of money on treats and vet bills, and always, always clean up after them when nature calls.

OK, not always, but humans would be miserable without their “fur babies.” We call them “the kids.” They compete for space with cats on Facebook. If we want some gushy comments, we post a photo of our new puppy.

When they don’t show up for dinner, we panic, and go straight to Kamloops Missing Pets or Kamloops and Area Lost and Found Pets, pleading for help.

And people offer best wishes and promise to keep a look out. And they do. When a “kid” shows up after days or weeks on the lam, it makes the news, like Genie the Boston Terrier, who showed up recently after going missing for six weeks.

Yes, we do love our dogs. That’s why Canadians are so unhappy with the upcoming ban on rescue dogs from a hundred countries — like Mexico, Egypt, Turkey and Ukraine — based on fear of canine rabies. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the move will “protect Canadians and their pets,” and will take effect on World Rabies Day, Sept. 28.

Dog rabies is a nasty form of the disease, but Canada has not a single active case. There was no consultation with rescue groups, and the agency has offered no data to justify the ban.

Canadian rescue-dog agencies take robust measures to make sure the dogs they bring to Canada are disease-free and healthy. Tighten up on health checks where necessary, sure, but

the blanket ban is a case of government over-reaction and over-reach. It will doom thousands of dogs who would normally have found a home here to death.

Quite simply, it’s nonsensical and inhumane.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.