The Editor:
I was dismayed to read the article: “CDC to put tight restrictions on dogs traveling across the border.” As a new resident of Blaine, this was disappointing news. When I was house hunting last summer, I stayed at my son’s place in New Westminster with my dog, and crossed the border almost daily. Later, I traveled to Europe and my son watched my dog while I was away, saving me hundreds of dollars in kennel fees. My dog was healthier and happier for it and my son and daughter-in-law both enjoyed “babysitting” for me. Being able to cross the border with my dog was both a joy and a convenience.
I find it absurd that they are taking such draconian action over a reported average of two cases of rabies per year in the entire country, and only 127 cases over a period of 58 years! Clearly, whoever made this decision simply hates dogs, as there is no reasonable or rational argument to be made to justify it.
Meanwhile, pit bulls continue to maul people more than any other breed, including a recently retired friend of mine who just had his nose bit off by one while visiting a friend’s yard. His life will never be the same. A quick Google search will bring up dozens of news reports of such events, often disfiguring children, and sometimes even resulting in death, not infrequently, of the dog’s owner. When it comes to fatalities, which average 43 per year, despite only representing 6 percent of the total dog population, this breed accounts for nearly 60 percent of all dog attack fatalities. In 2023, pit bulls mauled 57 people to death. Yet, somehow, Susan’s labradoodle coming home from a camping trip in B.C. is an imminent threat.
And what about Point Roberts? Am I, a U.S. citizen, no longer able to travel with my dog to Point Roberts, which is part of Washington state, and return home? How am I importing anything if I’m going from the U.S. to the U.S.?
Chanel Bishton
Blaine
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