PET ISSUES Kerry gets bitten by a survey of dog owners

.........Beyond being just good fun, the poll results hint at a more serious political issue: trust and likablity. And while this is the first year the American Kennel Club conducted the poll, dogs have a long pedigree in American politics. Desperate to bolster his family credentials after the Monica-sex-scandal, Bill Clinton ran out and got Buddy, a chocolate Lab--the breed that polls indicated was the most beloved family dog. In 1952 vice presidential nominee Richard Nixon faced accusations of improperly accepting money for political expenses. Nixon defused the issue in a nationally televised speech by claiming the only improper gift he received was a puppy: "We did get something, a gift, after the election. . . . It was a little cocker spaniel. . . . Our little girl, Tricia, the 6-year-old, named it Checkers. . . . I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it."

Politicians have probably always known the value of reaching voters through their pets, so nearly every president has kept an animal in the White House. Some were not so lovable, such as the Hardings' opossums or William Howard Taft's Pauline, the last cow to live in the White House. For his part, Mr. Bush is clearly a dog lover and is confident enough in his manhood to be seen carrying Barney, his Scottish terrier. He also had a springer spaniel named Spot, who died recently at age 15 and was the only dog to live in the White House during two different administrations. .........

Just in case anyone isn't familiar with Save a SATO

More cities importing pound puppies
By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

Marianna Massa wanted to help solve the problem of stray dogs in her "own little way." So she adopted "Peluso," a three-legged mutt.

In the past 7 years, Puerto Rico alone has sent 14,000 strays to the U.S. for adoption.

She picked him out of a crowd at a Salem, Mass., shelter. But Peluso was no neighborhood stray. The terrier mix had been shipped 1,700 miles from Puerto Rico because Salem doesn't have enough strays to satisfy demand.

Peluso is part of a trend: Animal shelters in the USA are casting a wide net — from Puerto Rico to as far as Taiwan — to fill kennels.

Critics say many shelters have solved the stray problem in their own area — but rather than shut down, they become de facto pet stores. Some charge more than $200 per adoption for imported dogs.

"Nobody's been watching this because nobody would have imagined that a hare-brained idea like this could ever get going," says Patti Strand, president of the National Animal Interest Alliance, a group that represents breeders, pet shop owners and others interested in animal welfare. "That's why there are no laws on the books."

In the last seven years, one organization in Puerto Rico has shipped more than 14,000 strays to the states for adoption. Shipments from other countries also appear to be increasing. Most imports are small to medium-size dogs popular among adopters.

Advocates of imports say their mission is to save street dogs, no matter where they are found, and to assist U.S. citizens who want to help homeless dogs.

More demand for strays

"We're sending more to the states because there's more demand for them," says Chantal Robles, founder and president of the Save a Sato Foundation, based in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. "As soon as they get there, they get adopted." Sato (SAW-toe) is the term used in Puerto Rico for a mixed-breed dog.

The drive to have dogs spayed and neutered in the USA has cut down on unwanted litters. And adoption campaigns have helped empty dog pounds.

"It's a success story," says Gary Patronek, director of the Tufts University Center for Animals and Public Policy.

But people who want to adopt dogs increasingly find aged dogs or undesirable breeds like pit bulls at shelters, Patronek says.

That's where imports like Peluso come in.

He lost a leg after being run over by a car in Puerto Rico. Massa, 29, found him at Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem — one of the pioneers in importing satos.

Perpetuating a problem?

Last year, the shelter received 390 strays from Puerto Rico, says Betty Bilton, the assistant director. Bilton says the shelter's mission is to find homes for strays. Whether the dog is from downtown Salem or an ocean away is not important.

Strand says it's OK for shelters to take in strays from nearby locales if they encourage spaying and neutering programs from donor areas. But she believes taking dogs from overseas, where population-control programs are limited, perpetuates a problem.

"Bringing more dogs in from other countries and territories increases the total number of dogs needing homes in the United States, and increases disproportionately the number of ones with temperament and health problems — the poorest risks for permanent placement," Strand says.

Not-for-profit shelters may be chartered to insure animal welfare, but they are relatively unregulated, Patronek says. Pet shops, on the other hand, generally operate under more stringent state and local regulations.

Bilton makes no bones about it: Shelters are on a tack to compete against pet stores for the business of dog lovers. Adoption of a sato at Bilton's shelter costs $125, which includes spaying or neutering.

"We don't feel bad if we can put a pet store out of business," she says. "Pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills where conditions are horrendous. I don't feel guilty at all about putting puppy mills out of business either."

Dogs coming into the USA need certificates of good health and proof of rabies shots. They are not required to be quarantined.

Patronek warns that the prospect of importing disease is a serious concern.

"What makes it so scary is that you just don't know what might emerge if you aren't at least looking for it," he says.

So far, the importation of disease has not been a problem, even though dogs are arriving from places as diverse as Mexico, Bahamas and Taiwan, says Martha Armstrong, vice president for companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States. "Many of the people who are exporting are taking care of what they're sending out," she says.

Strand, who raises purebred Dalmatians, says imports might easily be diseased or flea-ridden. They may have social problems; they might shy away from humans, or be biters.

Foster care helps adjustment

Bilton counters that all the dogs she gets from Puerto Rico are tested for disease, and those that are wild spend a month in "foster care" to allow them to adjust to people.

"We have not seen one virus or disease in Puerto Rico that hasn't been here. These dogs are heartier and healthier than those that come from the southern U.S."

Bilton also disputes claims that the dogs are poorly socialized. "I have a such a good relationship with the rescue people in Puerto Rico," she said. "I know the dog weeks before it gets here. We wouldn't give a dog to a family and say I hope it doesn't kill your kid."

While the debate over importing dogs continues, Massa is sold on the idea. She liked Peluso so much that she stopped by the shelter recently to pick out another sato.

"I read a lot about how hard their lives are in Puerto Rico," said Massa, who works at a retirement home. "It just affected me so much. I had to do something. If I had a farm, I'd have more."

>So far, the importation of disease has not been a problem, even though dogs are arriving from places as diverse as Mexico, Bahamas and Taiwan, says Martha Armstrong, vice president for companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States. "Many of the people who are exporting are taking care of what they're sending out," she says.<

Oh really????

From: http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/relocation_brings_rabies.htm

Stray pet relocation brings rabies to Massachusetts
NAIA calls for tighter regulation of dog and cat imports

A rabid Puerto Rican “rescue pup” imported by a Massachusetts animal shelter exposes the glaring public health risk of “humane relocation.” According to a report by Massachusetts Public Health Veterinarian, Dr. Fredric Cantor, 6 people have received post-exposure prophylaxis so far. The sick puppy was shipped with 5 other pups by the Save-a-Sato Foundation, a group that routinely ships Puerto Rican street dogs to shelters in several states including New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Texas. In 1994, a rabies exposure in Concord, NH forced 665 people to receive such treatment before it was over. [See http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/m0038110/m0038110.asp ]. Similarly, this exposure resulted from a stray animal, in this case a cat, being placed in the pet trade.

Dog overpopulation problems have disappeared in many parts of the US, but surpluses still exist in some regions. “Humane relocation” has emerged to equalize this situation by transporting stray and unwanted pets from high to low supply areas for adoption. “If conducted responsibly between contiguous states within the Continental US, these services can reduce needless shelter euthanasia of adoptable pets,” said NAIA President, Patti Strand, “but when managed irresponsibly, these programs operate as unregulated pet stores and place the public at risk.”

As non-profit organizations, shelters are exempt from many of the laws that regulate pet businesses, a dangerous loophole that allows them to import and sell large numbers of stray dogs and cats from places as distant as Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan without appropriate oversight. Critics charge these quasi-shelters with paying more attention to turnover than to the health and welfare of the pets they adopt for high fees. "The Puerto Rican pup, like many of his companion imports, was too young for adequate rabies protection," said Strand, "but nonetheless was imported as part of this misguided distribution scheme. Because rabies is fatal once symptoms appear, this diagnosis places a significant burden on health agencies by preempting other important priorities."

In 2000, NAIA sounded the alarm about emerging pet relocation practices in Redefining Pet Overpopulation [http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/redefining.htm ] where Strand wrote, “Significantly, the dogs that are being imported are not pets from private homes but strays from the streets, the most likely reservoirs for parasites and diseases. Worse, we're bringing them into communal shelters where they are most likely to pass on whatever diseases or parasites they have to other companion animals.”

In a 2003 follow-up article, Humane or insane? Importation of foreign stray animals into US shelters threatens health, sustains overpopulation [http://www.naiaonline.org/body/articles/archives/humane_insane.htm ] Strand warned: “From Florida, Texas and Michigan to New England and the Pacific Northwest, more and younger Puerto Rican dogs and puppies are finding their way into American shelters every month. Massachusetts in particular is a magnet and a distribution center for relocated surplus pets and strays… Some diseases and parasites pose serious health risks for human health as well as for dogs and other species... Dogs are a leading vector for rabies in many poor countries…Given the incubation period for rabies, from five days to several years, with 20-60 days being the norm, unquarantined importation of street dogs from poor countries with low rates of vaccination for rabies, is a disaster waiting to happen...”

“This rabid puppy confirms the importance of reviewing and tightening current laws, regulations and policies,” said Strand. Specifically, NAIA urges federal and state public health officials to consider adopting regulations for admitting dogs and cats, especially strays, to the North American Continent. These regulations should include the imposition of a quarantine similar to the one recently adopted by Hawaii, unless the dog or cat meets reasonable pre-approved protocols for vaccinations and parasite treatments, and has positive identification, and a health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian. “Allowing feral and stray dogs and cats to enter the Continental US without complying with even these minimal screening requirements, places our citizens, pets and livestock at risk,” said Strand, an unnecessary risk that NAIA is determined to end."

The National Animal Interest Alliance is a coalition of animal owners and organizations dedicated to animal welfare, responsible animal ownership and maintaining the rights of animal owners to keep and enjoy pets. For more information, visit the NAIA website at http://www.naiaonline.org , send e-mail to naia@naiaonline.org, or call (503) 761-1139.

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