The Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act is now law!

 

Photo courtesy of spcaLA

It has long been known that veterans can benefit from a bona fide service dog to assist them to cope with injuries, PTSD, suicidal impulses and an array of emotional and psychological needs. Additionally, they, as well as the rest of the population can be helped by the unconditional love of a family pet. Unfortunately, recognizing this need and sometimes the idea of any pet on a military base has been dismissed and resisted by those in charge.

For many years now spcaLA has worked with assorted veteran's groups to speak out, to offer pets, and to do what we can to provide solace and comfort to our veterans with our dogs. 

FINALLY, on August 25th, 2021, President Biden has signed  H.R. 1448 and H.R. 3642 the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act into law. This law will allow veterans to train and work with potential service dogs to address their particular issues and then to adopt the dogs! 

Thanking veterans for their service is a nice gesture, addressing their needs upon return for service is a must do.

New requirements if importing dogs for resale from ASF regions - getting the message?

"Best Friends" by HKmPUA is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

A new federal order, issued August 6, 2021, will apply additional stringent requirements regarding the importation of dogs for resale into the United States from countries where African Swine Fever (ASF) exists or is believed to exist. Among other things, importers will have to attest in writing that certain protocols regarding the bedding, crating, iso-chipping, and others have been complied with. 

The USDA website states: 

    "ASF is found in countries around the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. More recently, it has spread through China, Mongolia and Vietnam, as well as within parts of the European Union. It has never been found in the United States – and we want to keep it that way."

The disease is deadly, highly contagious to domestic and feral swine, not to humans, and it is not a food safety issue. There is no treatment for or vaccine against this disease - only mass euthanasia of an infected population. The danger is that the imported dogs for resale into the United States could introduce this disease into our population, to our pet pigs, and farms.

The list of regions in the world affected by ASF can be found here. I think it is important to point out that there is a lot of overlap between the puppy mill locations exporting designer dogs and trendy pure breeds into the U.S., and the locations where ASF exists, as well as an overlap to the unchecked rabies regions from which dog importations have recently been banned by the CDC as well! 

This should be a wake up alarm to those ordering French Bulldogs from Ukraine (both lists), and others, that we global residents of the world must be mindful of
the fact that the simple act of clicking on the internet to import a dog into this country, can create the real hardship of fighting off stowaway viruses and organisms that can cause death and sorrow for us all.

How about we don't convert dog shipping crates into Pandora's boxes and adopt from an spca or humane society here at home.