Dogs as Live Animal Imports
When dogs are brought in as "rescues" from Europe, they are usually brought in on commercial import licenses and are classed as live animal imports.
This involves using animal transport companies so, are all transports are equal and is it always in the best interests of the dog?
These are questions I pondered over and in both instances, came to the conclusion that the answer is NO!
Some transporters limit numbers to 35-40 dogs per van. Others cram in up to 50 dogs, think about that for a minute, 50 dogs and cages fitted into a transit van. I have been told by transporters that on runs where dogs are dropped off on route at owners homes, the journey can take 2-3 days as dogs are dropped off across Europe before entering the UK. Dogs going to the North of Scotland can sometimes spend a further day in the van. Consider also that some vans have no air con or heating and that temperatures can get as cold as -30 and as hot as 40+.
One volunteer told me of a van arriving with dogs covered in urine that had dripped from the cages above, of dogs being dehydrated, lying in their excrement some of which had blood in it. She stated she had never seen or smelt anything like it and she has helped with dog rescue most of her life.
Another told of a cat who was visibly stressed having spent 35 hours in a cage next to an aggressive dog and had no way of hiding as the cage sides were mesh. Barnaby arrived very dehydrated and with his dew claw partly torn off.
Is this really any better than other live animal import and exports? Does the end justify the means? Animals arriving stressed, dehydrated and with injuries that the "rescuer" claims weren't there before transport.
Let's also consider the safety issue on our roads. Some transports claim to do the journey from Romania to the UK in 25 hours, this includes stops in Europe to drop dogs on route. Many have only one driver meaning that driver has completed a 20 hour journey, with stop offs in 25 hours. Knowing what I do now, I would never allow my dog to be cooped up in a van like this with up to 49 other dogs for anything from 1-3 days.
So is it always in the best interest of the dog? Considering the deaths of dogs from a suspected heart attack, overheating, the pups brought in last November when all three had parvo virus, the dog with distemper and the numerous tales of dogs with broken limbs, hernias, covered in ticks, torn claws and more. I would have to say no it isn't.
This is one of the problems with dogs being given falsified documents. Instead of being checked by a vet and certified as well enough to travel, dogs with health problems are being given passports and put on traces having never seen a vet thus subjecting sometimes seriously ill dogs or dogs in extreme pain to an excruciating journey. If something does go wrong, the people involved are likely to attempt to cover it up as the dogs are not legal.
Also consider, is it better that dogs with aggression problems or street dogs who will never live in a home make the grueling journey here only to be put in a UK shelter then euthanised or to escape and then get injured or killed?
With the vast amounts of money being raised by "rescues", there surely has to be a better way forward. Invest it in improving shelters, spaying campaigns, education programmes? Unfortunately, it appears that international rescue has become an extremely profitable business and many are no longer focused on the dogs welfare.
Sadly, those rescues who do follow procedures and only use transports prioritising the dogs welfare, will be impacted by regulation changes but my opinion is that if people in the UK genuinely want to help animals by re-homing, they will be willing to help fund the extra testing and wait for the dog to be properly documented before travelling.
This involves using animal transport companies so, are all transports are equal and is it always in the best interests of the dog?
These are questions I pondered over and in both instances, came to the conclusion that the answer is NO!
Some transporters limit numbers to 35-40 dogs per van. Others cram in up to 50 dogs, think about that for a minute, 50 dogs and cages fitted into a transit van. I have been told by transporters that on runs where dogs are dropped off on route at owners homes, the journey can take 2-3 days as dogs are dropped off across Europe before entering the UK. Dogs going to the North of Scotland can sometimes spend a further day in the van. Consider also that some vans have no air con or heating and that temperatures can get as cold as -30 and as hot as 40+.
One volunteer told me of a van arriving with dogs covered in urine that had dripped from the cages above, of dogs being dehydrated, lying in their excrement some of which had blood in it. She stated she had never seen or smelt anything like it and she has helped with dog rescue most of her life.
Another told of a cat who was visibly stressed having spent 35 hours in a cage next to an aggressive dog and had no way of hiding as the cage sides were mesh. Barnaby arrived very dehydrated and with his dew claw partly torn off.
Is this really any better than other live animal import and exports? Does the end justify the means? Animals arriving stressed, dehydrated and with injuries that the "rescuer" claims weren't there before transport.
Let's also consider the safety issue on our roads. Some transports claim to do the journey from Romania to the UK in 25 hours, this includes stops in Europe to drop dogs on route. Many have only one driver meaning that driver has completed a 20 hour journey, with stop offs in 25 hours. Knowing what I do now, I would never allow my dog to be cooped up in a van like this with up to 49 other dogs for anything from 1-3 days.
This isn't a short trip to the next town or even across the UK. Dogs are kept in these cages for up to 3 days, they urinate and foul in the cage and there are no separators between cages. People need to think of the psychological damage being done to an already, in most instances, traumatised dog.
Some dogs have no adopter to go to so where do they end up? Professionals have asked me this question on several occasions and until recently I had to say I didn't know. Now I am aware that some end up in kennels and can be kept there for months with little social interaction and no real chance of ever finding a home. The lucky ones others end up in a loving foster home and hopefully, eventually go onto to find a home.
So is it always in the best interest of the dog? Considering the deaths of dogs from a suspected heart attack, overheating, the pups brought in last November when all three had parvo virus, the dog with distemper and the numerous tales of dogs with broken limbs, hernias, covered in ticks, torn claws and more. I would have to say no it isn't.
This is one of the problems with dogs being given falsified documents. Instead of being checked by a vet and certified as well enough to travel, dogs with health problems are being given passports and put on traces having never seen a vet thus subjecting sometimes seriously ill dogs or dogs in extreme pain to an excruciating journey. If something does go wrong, the people involved are likely to attempt to cover it up as the dogs are not legal.
Also consider, is it better that dogs with aggression problems or street dogs who will never live in a home make the grueling journey here only to be put in a UK shelter then euthanised or to escape and then get injured or killed?
With the vast amounts of money being raised by "rescues", there surely has to be a better way forward. Invest it in improving shelters, spaying campaigns, education programmes? Unfortunately, it appears that international rescue has become an extremely profitable business and many are no longer focused on the dogs welfare.
Sadly, those rescues who do follow procedures and only use transports prioritising the dogs welfare, will be impacted by regulation changes but my opinion is that if people in the UK genuinely want to help animals by re-homing, they will be willing to help fund the extra testing and wait for the dog to be properly documented before travelling.
Comments
Post a Comment