Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Ban on Importing Dogs to the US

The Facts

We are alarmed by the recent announcement made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA banning the importation of rescue dogs from countries such as Thailand.

The ban will come to effect on the 14th of July. The CDC announced that the decision was made due to the risk of rabies imposed by unvaccinated dogs who have arrive into the USA from so-called high risk countries.

Read the full CDC statement here https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/high-risk-dog-ban-frn.html

Soi Dog Foundation fully supports and appreciates the importance of implementing stringent disease control measures. However, with an unblemished track record of exporting healthy, rabies-free dogs to various countries worldwide, SDF finds a blanket ban on the import of adopted dogs to be unduly harsh on reputable organisations who are fully compliant with all country-specific import requirements.  

Soi Dog is based in Phuket, one of the few certified rabies-free provinces in Thailand. All of our animals are fully vaccinated and free from disease.

A Solution

Many countries around the world require a valid rabies titer test (RTT) before permitting entry. Soi Dog Foundation obtains the RTT from independent accredited laboratories from serum analysis obtained from the travelling dog three months prior to the date of travel. 
The RTT paperwork is then verified before travel and produced at any required point during the dogs' journey to its new home, most significantly at entry ports in the destination country. 

This method is adopted by several other first world countries to which Soi Dog sends animals and is proven to be 100% effective in terms of disease control and can work in exactly the same way for animals who travel to the United States.

Actions

We have already approached the CDC to ask them to kindly reconsider the blanket ban and to favour an approach that would continue to permit the safe passage of fully vaccinated animals from bonafide organisations such as Soi Dog Foundation. 

But we need your help too.

How can you help?

There are ways you can help us to try and convince the CDC that there are alternative solutions which ensure that the rabies issue is addressed but that does not see innocent and healthy dogs suffer from the implementation of a blanket ban.

1 - Click here to read our letter to the CDC and to add your name to show your support.

2 - Write your own letter of concern to the CDC. Use our easy-to-follow suggestions of what to include and what not to include and send your letter directly to the CDC at CDCanimalimports@cdc.gov

Dos and Don’ts

Soi Dog is supportive of measures that prevent the spread of infectious diseases and wishes only to highlight to the CDC the fact that steps can be put in place that achieve both the continued safety of US citizens and animals but continues to allow for the rescue and rehoming of healthy dogs from rabies-free zones such as Phuket.
It is worth considering that any approach to the CDC should be done in a respectful and understanding manner.
With this in mind, we have put together a list of things to include and things to avoid when writing your letter.

Do

• Mention your support of rescuing animals who have nowhere else to turn
• Show your support for the mission to end rabies
• Highlight the fact that there are other, less broad-ranging measures that can be taken such as the implementation of titer testing which will achieve the same goal
• Mention that Soi Dog is based in a rabies-free province and all of its dogs are fully vaccinated and pose no risk to public health
• Mention Soi Dog’s professional overseas adoption programme

Don’t

• Ask for an outright lifting of the ban - we are merely seeking to revise so that legitimate and fully vaccinated dogs can be allowed in to the US
• Use inflammatory or derogatory language
• Use CAPS LOCK
• Make it personal. Your letter should be broadly addressed to the CDC as an organisation

3 - Send you own tweet to @CDCgov or copy the message below and tweet them @CDCgov

@CDCgov Please consider revising the ban on dog imports from Soi Dog Foundation. The blanket ban will stop hundreds of healthy dogs finding homes in the US from @soidogphuket and a rabies-free island province 
#revisetheban #endrabies #CDCdogban

4 - Share our post here on your Facebook page