Canada bans import of dogs from 100 countries
Eight-month-old Nike is a new arrival to Canada from the country of Oman.
“We were able to bring him to Canada along with two other little wadis,” said Anne Hoekema, a volunteer with Extraordinary Galgos and Podencos.
Nike has already found a new life and forever home with a family in Esquimalt. He and his sisters are lucky, because life in Oman can be hard for dogs.
“What happens to these little wadi is quite horrendous,” said Hoekema. “They are shot, they are beaten, they are left abandoned and many of them starve to death.”
As of Wednesday, the government of Canada has banned the import of dogs from 100 countries, including Oman. The reason? Those countries have a track record of canine rabies. Canine rabies was eradicated in this country decades ago through a successful vaccination program.
“Rabies is almost 99-per-cent fatal if you don’t catch it before clinical symptoms,” said Dr. Adrian Walton, owner and lead veterinarian at Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge.
Walton agrees with the ban. He says a lot of dogs are entering the country that aren’t properly vaccinated for canine rabies.
“Some of the vaccines that they are using are not licensed for use in rabies for here in Canada,” said Walton.
He cites an example from a dog owner who recently came to him. That dog owner allowed him to share their information with CTV News.
The dog was vaccinated, but with a long-expired vaccine.
Penny Stone, the executive director of the Victoria Humane Society, says every dog deserves a good life, no matter where they are from. She believes the positive side of the ban is that more domestic dogs could find a forever home.
The humane society currently has more than 100 dogs up for adoption. On Wednesday, workers there were showing off a new batch of puppies to a group of provincial government employees.
“Unfortunately, with COVID, animals didn’t get spayed and neutered like they should have in remote communities we work in,” said Stone. “There’s a lot of babies having babies.”
Stone estimates there are hundreds of thousands of dogs that need homes in Canada.
Back in Esquimalt, Nike managed to get out of Oman at the 11th hour. As of Wednesday, no more dogs will be allowed into Canada from that country.
As for the Extraordinary Galgos and Podencos group, it says Spain is one of only a handful of countries where the ban does not apply. The group says it will continue to bring dogs from that country into Canada.
Extraordinary Galgos and Podencos has been bringing Spanish greyhounds to Canada since 2016.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.