An animal rescue group is bringing as many dogs into Canada as it can before an import ban comes into effect.
Eleven golden retrievers from Istanbul arrived at the Vancouver International Airport on Thursday night thanks to the efforts of Golden Rescue.
The group said it’s aiming to bring in about 120 retrievers from Turkey and Egypt before Sept. 28.
That’s when animals from over 100 countries will officially be banned from arriving in Canada due to concerns of rabies.
It’s a move some rescue groups said will do more harm than good.
”Our partners in Istanbul and in Cairo rely very heavily on us to save dogs from very terrible conditions or even death. With the new ban, we’re not gonna be able to help them anymore, we’re not going to be able to bring the dogs into Canada into safe forever families anymore,” said Anastassia Ferdman, a Golden Rescue volunteer.
Those adopting the dogs were at the airport as well.
“I’m just very excited. It’s such a good feeling to rescue and just be a part of all these other people here that are rescuing their dogs too,” said Lisa Alemany-Kunzler, another volunteer.
Golden Rescue said all of the dogs it imports are vet-checked and vaccinated against rabies.
“Golden Rescue and many other rescue organizations are all for increasing medical protocols to make sure everyone in Canada is safe, (but) we don’t believe that a full ban is necessary,” said Ferdman.
Comments