Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation Notifies HHS, CDC that Dog-Import Rule Is Illegal — Will File Suit if Rule is Not Repealed

Today, July 29, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation notified the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that their rule prohibiting dogs under six-months of age and dogs without microchips from entering the country violates the Public Health Service Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, and that Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation will file suit if the rule is not delayed and withdrawn.

“HHS and CDC cannot help themselves,” said Todd Adkins, vice president of government affairs at Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “They claim to have authority to issue this rule based on a strained, over-broad reading of the Public Health Service Act. That is the same statute that they claimed gave them authority to halt evictions nationwide, require masking on airplanes, deport immigrants and shut down the cruise ship industry during the COVID pandemic. Every one of those restrictions was thrown out by federal courts who found that the agencies overreached.”

“The rule is also arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act, especially as it relates to Canada,” said Michael Jean, litigation counsel at Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “The purpose of the rule is to prevent the introduction of dog-maintained rabies virus variant into the country. But HHS and CDC openly acknowledge that the rabies variant does not exist in Canada.” 

Hunters need to get their dogs at an early age to train and socialize them. Now they can no longer get young puppies from other countries. They also take their dogs to Canada for hunting trips and trials. But they won’t be able to bring their dogs back into the country under this rule unless they comply with these arbitrary mandates. “This rule really hurts our members, especially in states like Michigan. And that’s why we’re going to fight it,” Adkins concluded. 

About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance and its supporting Foundation protect and defend America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. The organization accomplishes this mission through several distinct programs, including public education, advocacy, litigation and research. Stay connected to the Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.