Thriving animal shelter businesses assure more rabies in American pets
By: Staff Date: 01/8/2012 Category: | Canine Issues |
In late 2004 the first case of canine rabies in Los Angeles County in 30 years was confirmed. The dog had recently come from Mexico. During it's short time in Los Angeles, it exposed family members and family pets, and interacted with numerous animals at a local dog training class. Just a few months earlier a puppy imported from Puerto Rico into a Massachusetts shelter was also diagnosed with rabies. As NAIA warned in previous articles on the subject, this problem is only going to get worse.
One thing slowing proper attention to this growing public health threat, is the fact that most government agencies as well as most Americans have no idea that a few private humane shelters and animal sanctuaries are now operating as de facto pet stores, importing and marketing sad faced street dogs from foreign countries and offshore territories to kind hearted Americans - for a price. Most Americans are convinced that pet overpopulation is still raging in the US, and getting worse. Ironically, they believe this is true because the people who are importing strays for placement in American homes (and making a pretty good living at it) keep telling them so. In fact, these are the same people (1) who campaign for legislation to stop "pet overpopulation."
The public doesn't realize that in order to keep up with the high demand for dogs caused by anti-breeding laws and the subsequent reduction of well-bred US dogs, activists are importing dogs from Puerto Rico, Mexico and even from as far away as Taiwan, and rapidly replacing those healthy, socialized and carefully bred American puppies with diseased and unsocialized animals.
People who adopt from importing shelters of this type should consider quarantining their pet for a few months before taking it home, just to make sure it doesn't have rabies, or something worse; because the same loophole that allows shelters to operate like fly-by-night pet stores also allows them to avoid the regulations that are designed to protect the public from unscrupulous animal dealers.
1. Kim Sturla, the chief proponent of the famous San Mateo ordinance and other anti breeding campaigns in the 1990's, now runs The Animal Place, a sanctuary that imports Mexican dogs.
About The Author
All Authors Of This Article: | Patti Strand |
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