Puppies rescued from Middle East just prior to ban on importing dogs

Earlier this year, U.S. soldiers serving in the Middle East found six puppies and two adult dogs living on the streets, suffering in the heat without food or water. The soldiers built a shelter for them, regularly brought food and water and bonded with the dogs.

Faced with the prospect of deploying back to America and not wanting to leave the dogs behind, the soldiers reached out to Paws of War (pawsofwar.org). The Long Island, N.Y.-based nonprofit spent about $4,500 per dog — $36,000 total — to get Oreo, Buddy, Cooper, Beans, Sam, Panda, Cheka and Frida to foster homes in New York state.

The dogs arrived earlier this month ahead of the soldiers who love them, because Paws of War was racing to beat a federal deadline.

On June 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that starting on July 14, dogs would no longer be imported from 113 countries that are considered “high risk for rabies.” High-risk countries include Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

The six puppies from the Middle East are now 5 months old and appear to be various breed mixes, said Derek Cartwright, a Long Island veteran who is statewide logistics coordinator at Paws of War. “They look like mutts, but they are really cute.”

The organization is seeking donations to transport the eight dogs to the hometowns of the soldiers who saved them. The cost is expected to be about $2,000 per dog. A rented air-conditioned van will be used to transport the dogs, Cartwright said, because airlines generally will not fly dogs during the hot summer months.

Since 2014, Paws of War has imported 300 dogs and cats for American veterans, he said. Some were working dogs that were teamed with soldiers, and others were strays that had been cared for by soldiers. The dogs are checked by veterinarians in the foreign country and checked again when they arrive in the United States, Cartwright said. All have arrived healthy.

Clearly Paws of War does not like the ban, which is expected to last at least a year. But many other organizations are concerned there are not more regulations for the 1 million dogs imported each year, according to the CDC.

For the second year in a row, the Healthy Dog Importation Act has been introduced in Congress. The bill, which would require health and vaccination protocols, has support from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Animal Interest Alliance, American Kennel Club and others. Sponsors say imported dogs are bringing in rabies, parvovirus and other diseases that can be

spread to other dogs, livestock and people.

Countries at high risk for rabies include Russia, most of China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong), Syria, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and many countries on the African continent, including Egypt and South Africa. No Western Europeancountries are on the list, which is probably good news for the many American police departments that import K-9 dogs from Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Neither Canada nor Mexico are on the banned list, but in the Americas and the Caribbean the ban includes Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil and Venezuela.

The ban on importing dogs specifically mentions rescue organizations and breeders: “Dogs intended for sale, adoption or transfer of ownership are not eligible for a CDC Dog Import Permit,” according to the CDC website.

Those permits allow some people to bypass the ban, but such permits “will be issued on an extremely limited basis,” according to the site. The CDC explains how to apply for the permits, and the process appears to be cumbersome.

From now through Oct. 14, imported dogs can arrive at only 18 airports, and Pittsburgh isn’t one of them. The closest ports of entry are Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and JFK Airport in

New York City.

The Paws of War imports were street dogs, and the CDC specifically addresses “street dogs adopted by a U.S. citizen.”

“Rescued dogs present the greatest risk of importing rabies. The CDC strongly discourages U.S. government employees from adopting street dogs overseas. ... Adopting a street dog puts your family and other pets you own at risk.”

Go to the pawsofwar.org for further information about services provided to active, retired and disabled military members.