Fifty golden retreivers (and their humans) protest Canada’s imported dog rescue ban in Ajax

A giant pack of adopted golden retrievers has a bone to pick with the federal government and Ajax MP Mark Holland getting chewed out about it.

Legal advocacy group Animal Justice (with a little help from rescue operaters Golden Rescue in getting the word out) organized a large gathering outside Holland’s office at 100 Old Kingston Road, with the group protesting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ban on international dog rescue imports from noon to 2 p.m. today.

Holland serves as the Canadian Minister of Health and counts the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as part of his portfolio.

The ban came into effect in September 2022. It forbids the import of any dogs from a long list of nations Canada considers to be at high risk of rabies. It does not permit any exceptions and is in force at all Canadian airports.

The list includes nearly 120 countries primarily in Africa, Asia and South America. The list is updated regularly with Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and Timor-Leste added in August 2024.

“Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system of mammals, including humans,” the agency explained. “It is fatal in both animals and humans and the importation of even one rabid dog could result in transmission to humans, pets and wildlife. Dogs are the main source of human rabies deaths, contributing up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans.”

Animal Justice challenged the ban in court shortly after it went into effect, calling it “a death sentence” for many adoptable dogs. “Canadian dog rescue organizations and their international partners rescue countless dogs each year from neglect and abuse, and bring them to Canada to find loving homes.”

“The ban ends dog rescue from countries like Ukraine and Afghanistan that are embroiled in conflict, and countries like China where dogs are killed in the dog meat trade.”

Of note, there have only been 27 confirmed human rabies cases in Canada in the last 100 years and only one in Ontario since 1967. Canadians are much safer than average though. Globally rabies claims about 59,000 lives every year.

In that most recent case, a child in Haldimand County south of Hamilton contracted the virus from a bat in his room. Thinking nothing of it, the child did not receive medical attention until symptoms presented but by then it was too late.

After exposure, rabies remains dormant in the central nervous system for some time, perhaps even months. During this period, the disease can be treated with a series of shots. However, once symptoms present themselves, the virus is almost always fatal.

As a result, Animal Justice said they certainly support initiatives to prevent the spread of the virus. This is easily accomplished through vaccination campaigns which have contributed to the low rates of the virus in Canada.

“Rabies is 100 per cent preventable, and we agree with creating stronger protocols,” Golden Rescue Board Co-Chair Jane Riddell said, “We are ready to collaborate with the CFIA to develop a plan that will keep all Canadians safe.”

“Let it be clear: our top priority is rescuing every Canadian Golden Retriever. International rescues pose no threat to our shelter problem, as any Golden that is returned (a very rare occurrence) will always come back into our care.”

Golden Rescue has saved and settled many dogs in Canada, primarily from Turkey, Egypt and Mexico. Turkey and Egypt are among the banned countries for imports now but Mexican dogs are still permitted.

Many of these dogs settled right in Durham Region and the GTA with loving forever homes. Golden Rescues’ many testimonials include:

• Bobby and Finlay from Cairo, Egypt (now in Port Perry)
• Buster from Cairo (now in Uxbridge)
• Charm from Istanbul, Turkey (now in Oshawa)
• Cooper from Istanbul (now in Bowmanville)
• Eros from Istanbul (now in St. Catharines)
• Kipling from Istanbul (now in Ancaster)
• Levi from Cairo (now in Ajax)
• Maya and Chance from Cairo (now in Oakville)
• Nemo from Istanbul (now in Hamilton)
• Odin from Cairo (now in Niagara Falls)
• Ollie from Cairo (now in Oakville)
• Ruby from Istanbul (now in Whitby)
• Sailor  from Cairo (now in Brooklin)
• Scarlet from Mexico (now in Burlington)

“Our family has been blessed with two beautiful and loving Goldens from Egypt. Finlay came to us underweight and malnourished. He was found on the streets of Cairo and most certainly would have faced death had it not been for Golden Rescue. Our second international boy, Bobby, was surrendered to a shelter.” wrote the pair’s new humans Sarah and Lindsay.

“Without organizations like Golden Rescue, many of these now-cherished family pets are now facing a very different fate. The kindness and generosity of people wanting to see a better life for animals meant that both of our Goldens, along with many others, were saved and living their lives safe, healthy, and loved,” they concluded.

Many other dogs have settled across the country from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island.