APHIS Bipartisan Bill Targets Dog Imports
A bill that would require every imported dog to have a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian, and would create an online database with import permits and documentation, was introduced Aug. 4 by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. Within 18 months of the bill becoming law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be required to promulgate final regulations on that verification and on how dogs would be denied entry without the documentation.
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The senators are calling their bill the Healthy Dog Importation Act, and say it's important that USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have better information about the health of dogs coming to the country. “Mitigating the spread of foreign diseases in dogs will help keep domestic and wild animals healthy. It could also help prevent illnesses and disease outbreaks in people. I'm going to work to move this bipartisan bill forward with Sen. Grassley,” Smith said in the press release announcing the bill.
The press release also said the Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 1.2 million dogs are imported annually. For dogs imported from low or moderate risk countries for rabies, there is no documentation or vaccination required, it said.