The time has come to clear the air on what is and is not acceptable for animal rescues from the South to the Northeast, particularly the New England area. As my readers know, I rescued a pregnant dog from the Tipton County Animal Shelter last September. Five days later, she gave birth to seven wonderful puppies. Through the efforts of a former acquaintance of mine, I was put in contact with someone who would place the dogs in homes in New England. What I did not know, however, is that this person and the entities that she is associated with, are NOT approved by any states in the New England area. Let me explain.
The puppies were placed into the New England area without the mandatory quarantine periods as required by each state in their own way. Each state has their own regulations, and their own list of approved rescues. There are many reasons for their regulations, one of which is to prevent the spread of unwanted disease, such as parvo. The woman I was dealing with has had parvo in her house in the last month, as evidenced by her bewailing posts on her Facebook page. In the State of Massachusetts alone, there are over 300 complaints against this woman's partners, with a total of 30 of 31 dogs with parvo who died after being transported. One of my puppies contracted parvo on the trip north and, fortunately through the monumental efforts of his family and vet, survived to be a happy, healthy and most beloved family member. None of my dogs have had parvo, so the disease was most definitely contracted on the trip, as he showed signs of it within 3 days of his arrival. Viruses can live up to 3 weeks on surfaces, and although I was assured that the crates are bleached after each trip, if that were true, there would be telltale signs of bleach left behind. There were none.
Now, on to the states' individual regulations.
Maine - http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/ahi/dog-cat-import.html
New Hampshire - http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusnhst466_1_437A_9.htm#s437_10
Vermont - http://www.vermontagriculture.com/fscp/animalHealth/regulations.html
Massachusetts - http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusmast136A_175.htm#s138 See Section 138A. http://www.mass.gov/agr/animalhealth/ApprovedEntities.htm
Rhode Island - http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/#Agriculture See Section 8.02 in EMERGENCY Rules and Regulations Governing the Importation of Animals (4/18/12)
Connecticut - http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3767&q=487148
Be forewarned, animal lovers. There are unscrupulous people who are operating as rescues, even though they are not legitimized by the USDA, and are not "non-profits" as they would have you believe. Non-profits can be verified at http://www.irs.gov. They will say anything to get you to believe them. These people are not in it for the animals, but are in it for profit, and will band together, lying to get what they want. My advice is to check the approved rescues in each state before you agree to operate with any of them.
In the Memphis area, there is only one rescue that has a legitimate tie to New England, and that is Tipton Treasures in Millington. Tipton Treasures is associated with PAWS New England and is on the list of approved rescues for the State of Massachusetts. There are also unsavory transport companies (truck drivers) who will lie to save their own hide. If you are interested in having an animal transported, your safest bet is to come and pick the animal up yourself. The time spent getting to know your new family member is priceless.
Nazdrowie'
Paczki Puta
