With the Border Closed, Dog Rescues Across Canada Are in Trouble

Sally Hull has 10 dogs running around her five acres of land outside of Winnipeg, but there should be double that amount. Hull boards dogs, a business which has slumped, since many aren’t travelling. But it’s her dog rescue, Hull’s Haven, which has taken a big hit since COVID-19 struck. With quarantine mandates and a closed border, bringing in dogs has nearly ground to a halt. 

Hull normally brings in rescue dogs from around the U.S. and Canada. But with the U.S. border closed, and some provinces requiring a 14-day self-isolation after crossing provincial borders, neither Hull nor her team of volunteers have been able to travel with the pups. 

It’s another aspect of COVID-19 which has left Hull’s Haven and other dog rescues scrambling. Only a few businesses or travellers are defined as essential and are able to cross the border freely, without having to quarantine. Dog rescues didn’t make the cut. Without a stream of new animals, there are no adoption fees, which keep the rescues afloat. Meanwhile, some dogs that might otherwise get a second chance at a home, may eventually get put down. 

Hull often rescues dogs that require special attention, like those with a bite history or poor socialization skills. Other rescues take in dogs from shelters that have run out of space. Both categories mean dogs can get euthanized after too much time has passed without a rescue. 

“It hurts. It hurts a lot. Because I've seen what can happen to a dog that's been so badly abused or neglected or both. And when they're given the chance I know what they can be,” Hull said.  “I don't think the dogs would feel that way, but we are not considered essential services.” 

While Hull has struggled with bringing dogs into her rescue, there’s no shortage of willing foster families, or people looking to adopt. The dogs she has been able to bring in have been claimed within minutes of their pictures hitting her website, as people stuck at home look for COVID puppies. 

But Hull has been in limbo. Unable to cross the border to bring in rescue dogs, and unable to host the fundraisers that have kept her rescue in business for more than a decade. “I don't even know what to expect,” Hull said. “That's a huge scary part of it, is the unknown.” If nothing changes, Hull isn’t sure how long the rescue can survive. She guessed about six months. 

Hull’s Haven is just one rescue organization stymied by a closed border. In Perth, Ontario, Tanya MacAllister has been struggling to bring dogs into Poet’s Vision, and fundraising is also down. “When we fundraise, we go out and we go into the pet stores, or in the summertime, we do barbecues. So we can't do that, so pretty much, we’re begging online for money all the time,” said MacAllister. 

But some rescues have kept at it and thrived. Vancouver’s Furever Freed has gone from bringing about 40 dogs across the Washington State border per month to close to 80. Director Lisa Mcgalliard says at one point she was getting hundreds of foster applications a day, helped along partly by her celebrity clients. Mcgalliard has even been bringing in animals for other rescues, organizing van-loads of dogs to drive up from Mexico, the southern United States, or flying in from Korea. While there have been delays at points, her rescue has never stopped. 

Mcgalliard is adamant that her rescue is an essential service, and she’s been able to cross the border without incident. This, despite federal regulations that say otherwise. 

A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency told VICE News ”travelling abroad for the purposes of importing rescue animals to Canada is not considered an essential service (i.e. not part of commerce, trade, economic services and supply chains) and, as such, should be treated as non-essential travel. Therefore, the importation of rescue dogs, cats and other animals should be postponed at this time.”

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which regulates the importation of animals, dog rescues across Canada are not essential services, and should not be crossing the border. In practice, it seems there is confusion at the enforcement level. VICE News asked representatives from the CFIA how some rescues were seemingly able to work around these regulations, but got no response. 

As Mcgalliard puts it, “it’s kind of like the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.” Mcgalliard encourages other pet rescues to “do their homework” when it comes to crossing the border, and to ensure all permits, papers, and receipts are clear and ready. 

Currently, the Canada-U.S border is set to remain closed until October 21. However, that can be “prolonged as necessary for public health reasons.”

It’s possible that the U.S-Canada border will remain closed into 2021. The majority of Canadians seem happy by that prospect. But rescues like Hull’s Haven might not be around that long. 

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