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By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer Thursday, July 5, 2007

But the state says a spate of sick dogs coming in from the South make the quarantine necessary.

Both sides will get a chance to explain their positions July 16 at a public hearing that promises to be contentious.

State Veterinarian Don Hoenig said he and others at the state Department of Agriculture have received numerous calls from vets and pet owners about adopted dogs with heartworm, which is treatable, and distemper, which is incurable and often fatal.

The proposed rules would require dogs and cats to be properly vaccinated and tested for certain diseases before they could be legally adopted in Maine. Also, the animal would be isolated for five days before the adoption could become complete.

"After Hurricane Katrina, we saw in the media these reports of dogs coming up from the South, and the efforts to rescue them are certainly laudable," Hoenig said. "But we started hearing from owners and vets about health issues."

Rescue groups, such as the Golden Retriever Rescue Lifeline Inc. in Biddeford, say they will no longer be able to save animals if the rules go through.

That's because the groups -- usually volunteer organizations that rely on donations -- have no place to keep the dogs in quarantine for five days before adoption, said Melanie Crane, co-president of the golden retriever rescue.

"I think they are unfairly targeting the wrong people," she said. "Now the good rescues will suffer for it."

Crane said her group makes sure all the dogs they bring to Maine have had their shots, and have completed a 14-day quarantine followed by time with a foster family before they are brought into the state.

"As much as you can guarantee the health of an animal, we do," she said.

She and others from rescues around the state are planning to express their opposition to the rules at the public hearing. Another vocal opponent is the Almost Home Rescue of Maine, which has dedicated the home page of its Web site to explaining why the proposed rules are unnecessary.

Other groups -- including the Kennebec Valley Shetland Sheepdog Rescue, the Second Chance Boxer Rescue and Dogs Deserve Better -- could not be reached for comment this week.

Hoenig said the state's Animal Welfare Advisory Committee has been working on the proposed rule changes for a couple of years and decided to try to make state law consistent for dogs and cats in cases of resale and adoption.

"This rule is a proposal to try to put some safeguards to protect the health of animals in Maine, the consumers from adopting animals incubating disease and the animals themselves," he said. Hoenig said he understands there's opposition to the proposed rules.

"I'm not saying this is the be all and end all of this subject," he said. "Maybe there will be new ideas that come forward at the hearing."

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com

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