42 golden rescues arrive in Canada ahead of import ban

A flight full of golden retrievers made the journey from Egypt to Canada Tuesday on their way to their new homes, and for Brittany Spence, there is nothing like meeting a new family member.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so excited. He's perfect. He's perfect," Spence exclaimed while greeting her new dog.

The Barrie resident was one of many excited new dog owners to rescue a golden.

"There's so many dogs overseas that just need love and don't get it, unfortunately, so we're really excited to bring this one home," Spence added.

More than 40 dogs arrived at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga from Cairo as part of a rescue effort by Golden Rescue.

Amid the happiness of dogs finding their new homes, there's also sadness for Dr. Scott Bainbridge as this rescue flight by the organization marked the last ahead of an importation ban in effect on Sept. 28.

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"It is a matter of life and death. The conditions there are not great, and the health care is not great. We see dogs that come over here that are in pretty rough shape, and they need medical care, and if they aren't coming here to get it, they're going to perish back in Cairo," said Dr. Bainbridge, Golden Rescue veterinarian and board member.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) implemented the ban on canine imports because of concerns over animals bringing rabies into the country. However, Dr. Bainbridge said they had rescued recovered 1,700 dogs since 2015, and not one had rabies.

"Our protocols and procedures are very strict with Golden Rescue. Our main goal is to make sure that no dog is going to make any person sick when it comes over here," the veterinarian said.

Dr. Bainbridge also noted that Rescue Golden is one of the only organizations in the country to have two veterinarians on the board.

He added that they plan to meet with the CFIA in the coming months to request an exemption from the ban.

In the meantime, the organization is pleased to have placed so many furry friends with their forever homes.