Canada barred the entry of “commercial” dogs from more than 100 countries on September 28, 2022, the same day the world marks rabies prevention. The rule sweeps in dogs bound for adoption, fostering, resale, breeding, shows, and research.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency framed it as a protective step after imported dogs with seemingly valid paperwork tested positive for canine-variant rabies, a strain not circulating in Canada at the time, CFIA said.

Canada’s 2022 policy bans “commercial” dog imports from more than 100 high-risk countries.

The Public-Health Risk Is Real — But So Are Proportionate Tools

Rabies kills almost without fail. One exposure can trigger costly human post-exposure care and fear across a community. Two Ontario cases traced to imports in 2021 prompted national alarm, as veterinarians told CBC News. Yet Canada had options short of a blanket ban. International standards endorse vaccination documentation, serology to confirm antibody levels, pre-export certification, and targeted quarantine. Those are the guardrails the United States and European nations use while still allowing rescue and adoption flows, Animal Justice reports.

A Sweeping Measure With Human and Animal Costs

The order shut doors to dogs from conflict zones, disaster sites, and countries with weak shelter systems. Canadian households ready to adopt now meet a wall, while dogs abroad face abandonment, the meat trade, or overcrowded kennels. Montreal rescuers called the rule a “death sentence” for animals that already cleared vet checks and local quarantine before travel, CBC News (Montreal) reports.

Those consequences are not abstract. Before the prohibition, dogs like Karma in Thailand, Toby in Colombia, and three-legged Meeka in Lebanon made it to safety and permanent homes here. Their paths illustrate what careful screening plus compassionate logistics can achieve, as profiles from Animal Justice show.

Rescue, adoption, fostering, breeding, and show dogs fall under the ban.

Public Pressure Rose. The Policy Stayed Put.

Canadians pushed back early. A parliamentary petition drew more than 15,000 signatures urging a shift from a blanket ban to strict, science-based import rules that protect people without ending rescue routes, CBC News reports.

The CFIA acknowledged it would explore future regulatory options for personal pets and assistance dogs but kept the commercial dog ban in force.

Courts Confirmed Authority — Not Wisdom

In October 2025, a federal judge upheld the ministerial orders. The court accepted the CFIA’s legal power to act and its assessment of a serious risk after rabid imports from Iran, including the need for rapid response and the difficulty of verifying foreign paperwork. The ruling did not weigh the ban’s policy merits; it found the orders lawful, Business in Vancouver reports.

Legality is not the same as the best tool.

The rule arrived after rabid dog imports triggered costly public-health responses.

What Smarter Safeguards Could Deliver

Veterinary leaders who support strong controls have also outlined alternatives: certified vaccines, standardized documentation reviewed by Canadian vets, mandatory rabies antibody testing before travel, and enforced quarantine where risk remains high, as sources told CBC News.

Advocates propose a licensing regime for reputable rescues, targeted audits, and lifetime traceability to close the loopholes that bad actors exploit while keeping lifelines open, Animal Justice reports.

Such a framework protects Canadians and our rabies-free status. It also honors the country’s humane values, prevents a tilt toward puppy mills by maintaining ethical adoption supply, and aligns Canada with international best practice rather than isolation. The disease is unforgiving; the policy does not need to be.

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