Rabies fears grow as Malamute litter ‘enters UK from Bulgaria’

A TWO-month-old Alaskan Malamute is in quarantine after allegedly coming into Dover from Bulgaria – where rabies is endemic – with no pet passport.
The puppy was one of a litter of five bought by English residents from a van parked in a lay-by.
The illegal landing of the Malamute came to light because his new owner – who bought him through a website and was told he was 16 weeks old – took him to a vet who discovered that the papers accompanying him were a sham. He was not microchipped and at his age could not have been vaccinated properly against rabies. His fake passport comprised an A4-size sheet of paper which looked like thin Christmas wrapping paper.
Noname, as he has been called, is now in Bayton Lodge kennel in Warwickshire. Its proprietor Dale Groves explained that the unsuspecting purchaser bought the puppy through a website which offers any breed of dog for £250 plus £250 travel costs. He was told the animal would be delivered to a spot just outside Dover and that he was one of several people there to meet the van at about 7pm on a weekend evening. After handing over his money he chose his puppy.
Mr Groves said he has been told that Dover is not manned all the time and that no one was there over night to check vehicles coming in which is why dogs are being brought in during unmanned hours. And the authorities confirmed to DOG WORLD that checks are made ‘typically’ only between 8.30am and 1am on weekdays and not at all at weekends.
Previously, checks were being made 24 hours a day, Mr Groves said.
Noname appears to be in good health, Mr Groves said, and was about to have his second rabies vaccination in addition to the normal inoculations. He should be able to leave the kennel in five weeks’ time when it is hoped a home can be found for him as his owner says he no longer wants him. It is understood that the Bulgarian dealer offered Noname’s owner a substitute puppy from a litter to be brought into Kent ‘next month’. The whereabouts and condition of the other puppies are not known and DW has been unable to contact the purchaser.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Mr Groves said. “Kennels like ours are in the front line – not to say firing line.
“It isn’t the first time that this sort of thing has happened; I know of at least two recent incidents of puppies being brought in to England and dropped off at service stations – including a Yorkshire Terrier and a Shar-Pei – by people who are flouting the rules. Truck drivers can earn extra cash, and there’s big money in it, he added. Puppies are so much cheaper in Europe: French Bulldogs are £75 and in Latvia Siberian Huskies are £150-250.
“You have to remember that four of Noname’s brothers and sisters are still running around out there somewhere,” Mr Groves said. “That’s how rabies is going to be brought into this country.”
“But Noname is a lovely little chap and people have been donating food, bedding and toys for him as we can no longer afford to pay for such dogs now that quarantine’s gone. We’re finding it difficult to keep going. When we were at full capacity we could have ridden the cost but we can’t any more.”
The new quarantine laws which came into force on January 1 have made the UK ‘very vulnerable’ to rabies, according to those in the animal care and welfare industry. The laws have been relaxed in line with European legislation so that animals from the EU and listed non-EU countries such as the US and Australia will no longer need a blood test and will only have to wait 21 days before they travel.
Those from unlisted non-EU countries such as India, Brazil and South Africa will be able to enter the UK after only a three-month wait if they meet certain criteria to ensure they are protected against rabies, including a blood test. Current rules regarding tick treatment have also been relaxed.
DEFRA maintains that the risk of rabies coming to the UK remains ‘extremely low’, but some animal welfare groups say the changes expose Britain to an increased risk. Exhibitor, Kennel Club Committee member and kennel owner Meg Purnell-Carpenter says it is no longer a case of if we get rabies, but when.
Her views – aired fully in DOG WORLD three weeks ago – are supported by many quarantine kennel owners and charities such as Dogs Trust and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in addition to an increasing number of DW’s readers. Such was the response to the front page article that Mrs Purnell-Carpenter has launched a new e-petition – the previous one closed in December – which she hopes will make the public more aware of the risks.
“Pets now enter the UK from 26 EU states – nine of them classed as high risk – just 21 days after rabies vaccination. The average incubation period is 35 days,” she said. “These changes affect us all yet they’ve slipped in, unpublicised. People are unaware of the huge threat to the lives of not only their pets but their families too.
“A group of professors, doctors and animal lovers are desperate to raise awareness. Our Government has twice fought and won the right to opt out of these new regulations. We demand that our rabies free status is preserved, so we need to act now before it is too late.”
DOG WORLD contacted DEFRA and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) in Chelmsford and asked about the puppy and whether Dover was manned on a 24-hour basis every day. AHVLA responded: “Our staff at Dover typically work between 8.30am and 1am, Monday to Friday. Out of these hours we have an on-call officer available. We also have the flexibility to cover other hours if required.

Approved routes

“It is important to note however that pets can only enter the UK under the pet travel scheme via approved routes and it is the responsibility of the approved carrier to check all pets and their documentation to ensure compliance with the scheme. AHVLA’s role is to carry out audit checks on these carriers.
“The issue of smuggled pets, including fraudulent use of passports, should be separated from the pet travel scheme. This act is illegal under the Rabies Order which is enforced by the Police and Local Authorities. Anyone with information relating to individuals participating in pet smuggling should inform the police, this can be done via AHVLA.”
He declined to comment on the Alaskan Malamute.
“We can’t comment on individual cases, but the purpose of the pet travel scheme is to keep the UK free from rabies and certain other exotic diseases,” he said. “These rules changed on January 1 when the UK brought its procedures into line with the EU.
“Transport companies wanting to transport pets into the UK need to seek prior approval from the AHVLA to do so. This is because the transport company is responsible for carrying out checks on pets to make sure they meet the rules of the pet travel scheme before they enter the UK. AHVLA also conducts additional spot checks at point of entry into the UK.
“We take breaches of the rules very seriously, and robust penalties will apply to those who do not comply. Trading Standards will investigate and take appropriate action, including prosecution as necessary.”
Mrs Purnell-Carpenter’s petition reads, ‘Due to EU pressure, rules that have kept our island rabies free for over 100 years have been dropped. Must we lower our standards or should the EU be raising theirs?
‘… Change is good but this is madness. We call on our Government to consult all concerned parties, explore all options and ensure the public is fully aware that these changes will affect them’.
Mrs Purnell Carpenter is asking people to sign her petition – closing date October 10 – even if they signed the previous one. Visit http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27096
Visit the Rabies Alert UK website for more information.
Dog World .