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In reply to the discussion: I hope everyone who thinks it's OK to "just breed her once" or "just buy one dog" reads this all the [View all]pnwmom
(109,021 posts)in many regions that we're actually importing them from other countries.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-01-30-dogs-usat_x.htm
Animal shelters in the USA are casting a wide net from Puerto Rico to as far as Taiwan to fill kennels.
Critics say many shelters have solved the stray problem in their own area but rather than shut down, they become de facto pet stores. Some charge more than $200 per adoption for imported dogs.
"Nobody's been watching this because nobody would have imagined that a hare-brained idea like this could ever get going," says Patti Strand, president of the National Animal Interest Alliance, a group that represents breeders, pet shop owners and others interested in animal welfare. "That's why there are no laws on the books."
In the last seven years, one organization in Puerto Rico has shipped more than 14,000 strays to the states for adoption. Shipments from other countries also appear to be increasing. Most imports are small to medium-size dogs popular among adopters.