June 8, 2020
Congress is now poised to strengthen the broken U.S. dog import system!
Congress is moving very few bills forward right now due to COVID-19, so we feel truly fortunate that our bill,
the Healthy Dog Importation Act HR 6921, was introduced on May 18, 2020. Now we need your help to ensure its passage.
The bill will
1. Amend the Animal Health Protection Act to cover the importation of dogs. This Act already regulates the importation of other live animals and animal products.
2. Require that every dog entering the country be in good health, permanently identified, certified by an approved veterinarian in the country of origin, and carry records showing that it has received all the proper vaccinations.
3. Require that dogs being imported for transfer to a third party (for resale, adoption, or donation e.g.) be at least six months of age and accompanied by a USDA import permit before entering the country. (Importing a dog for your own use is not affected by this requirement.)
4. Streamline and coordinate federal oversight, ensuring documentation and import permits are shared electronically between APHIS, CDC, and Customs and Border Patrol, while clarifying APHIS’ key enforcement authority.
5. Require all Certificates of Veterinary Inspection for transport in commerce to be sent to USDA for inclusion in a centralized database.
NAIA owes our gratitude to Congressman Ralph Abraham, veterinarian and medical doctor of Louisiana, and the co-sponsorship of the two other veterinarians in Congress, Kurt Schrader of Oregon and Ted Yoho of Florida. We also thank our friends at the American Kennel Club for partnering with us to move this legislation forward.
Now, it is up to us to contact our Congress members and make sure they understand how important this bill is to each of us.
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With one click you can contact your Congress member, add a sentence or more saying why this bill is important to you (in the blank space located in the message body), fill in your address so the system locates your lawmaker, and hit send.
COVID-19 has brought to the forefront how rapidly a disease can spread globally. We need to use this as an opportunity to be vigilant about and prevent the importation of infectious diseases, including those diseases and parasites that have already been carried by unhealthy imported dogs and spread to other animals and humans.
Thank you again for demonstrating your support of NAIA and the dogs that bring great joy to our lives.
With gratitude,
Patti Strand
NAIA President
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