OUT-OF-STATE DOG ADOPTIONS
Rescue groups oppose new law
By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel Thursday, July 5, 2007

AUGUSTA -- Dog rescue groups that bring in animals from out of state say they are concerned about proposed new rules that would require a five-day quarantine period before an animal can be adopted.

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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JLG of Fairfield, ME
Jul 5, 2007 7:50 AM
The idea behind this proposal is admirable.... but targeting the WRONG groups of people. Rescues go to great lengths to insure that dogs are in good health and have been behavioral checked prior to adoption. They are vetted and put into foster homes prior to adoption for just these reasons. We have had 8 foster dogs stay with us - the shortest stay was 2 weeks, the longest being 8 months. Why not put the focus and attention on pet shops and back yard breeders about improving their proceedures? It is well documented that many BYB's and pet shops are interested in the $$$ and not the quality of an animal.
Hurrican Katrina and the aftermath was a catastrophe..... people all over rallied to help the victims.. human and animal. I don't see states making health and insurance changes because some humans got sick as a result of this catastrophe.... this state has seen some of the deplorable conditions that some people keep animals in just to make a buck.... we happen to have a dog taken from one of the state's confiscations.... and he is a wonderful animal.
Looks as if it's going to be a long day July 16th and I intend to be one of the many standing up for rescues and the wonderful work they do!report abuse
Sue of Fairfield, ME
Jul 5, 2007 8:54 AM
I am a volunteer for a rescue group. The state needs to spend their time on more important issues. Rescue groups are very thorough and assure no dog goes into a home until the dog has been deemed healthy. It's a huge process. They need to stick to the politics at hand and leave us alone.report abuse
Al Althenn of China, ME
Jul 5, 2007 9:13 AM
You really have to watch State employees in a position of authority simply because they are constantly trying to be noticed. Being noticed is often how you move up the ladder of public employment and therefore public pay.

Very briefly, a couple of years ago a State health official who clearly knew little about rabies transmission insisted that a very small baby bob cat be taken from a licensed wildlife rehabber because it had scratched the person who found it and took it to the rehab facility.

The animal was killed and its brain studied for signs of rabies even though the person scratched was insisting that she was willing to pay for and take the necessary preventative shots to insure she would not contract the disease. The test was of course negative.

Rabies is transmitted by saliva, in other words by a bite not a scratch. If a little common sense is applied one would realize that a very small kitten like this one was, would not have had survived an attack by a rabid animal. Nor would it had time in its young life to incubate the disease and become infectious if it did survive an attack, it was just a tiny kitten.

I have little or no faith in “puffed up” State officials who use their office to make themselves appear smarter than they are just to be noticed to get promoted. We must all think about what these “puffed up” experts are doing and not be to quick to simply “buy” what they are saying.

In my opinion real experts in anything don’t work for State pay scales. Again in my opinion the State is more likely to get the bottom of the barrel more often than the top when hiring professional grade people. This often leads to problems like the ones associated with China and Sebago lakes.
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Razorback of Brunswick, ME
Jul 5, 2007 9:29 AM
How much tax do we get for the spendthrift legislature? Keep the "Fish Police" away from these dogs! I could tell you a cruel story concerning a part of the Game & Fisheries Dept. but wish to stay unknown to them.report abuse

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