I was flying home from Vancouver the other day and there was a lot of barking from the holding area near the baggage carousels. It sounded like a lot of dogs were back there, which obviously got me thinking about from where they had come, to where they were going and what risks might be involved. We have hardly any idea of the number of dogs that fly within or into Canada and where they go, and I haven’t been able to get any information from airlines about how dogs are generally handled in transit (e.g. how closely cages are kept together, which is important because a dog flying a short distance domestically could potentially be placed close to a dog that’s just come in from overseas).

I don’t expect to get answers to any of these questions in the near future. However, there’s a bit more awareness now.  That’s a start.

In the US, the CDC has just released a new flyer about canine importation. It’s being distributed to US Customs and Border Protection, which seems a little late in the process (once you’re at the border with your dog, it’s a bit late to check some of these things). However, if it raises general awareness, it’s still a good thing. It would be interesting to know how widely distributed these fliers end up at border crossings.