CDC plans to deport Harley the dog; Dogs left without food or water for 3 days at O’Hare after CDC refuses to release dogs due to alleged paperwork issues

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, USA, September 3, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Washington D.C. – The New York Long Island congressional delegation sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control this week, urging the agency to allow a dog named Harley to stay in the U.S. and avoid deportation. The bipartisan letter was led by U.S. Reps. Kathleen Rice (NY-04), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Thomas Suozzi (NY-03), Peter King (NY-02), and Lee Zeldin (NY-01).

Harley’s guardian is an American soldier, Amjad Kirrish, who sought to bring Harley to the U.S. after finishing his service in Jordan. But due to a nonsensical decision by the Centers for Disease Control to deport Harley, her life now hangs in the balance, stirring public outrage and drawing the attention of Congress.

“The CDC’s bizarre decision to deport Harley could be a death sentence for this innocent dog. We urge Secretary Azar and CDC Director Redfield to make the compassionate and common sense decision to allow Harley to remain in the US, and enact permanent policy changes to prevent CDC staff from continuing to endanger animal welfare,” stated Holly Gann, Director of Federal Affairs for Animal Wellness Foundation.

After arriving in the U.S., the CDC flagged Harley’s paperwork and allegedly stated that a veterinarian’s signature was missing, but according to Paws of War, a nonprofit organization that worked to get Harley to the U.S., the paperwork was indeed signed by a veterinarian. They believe it’s possible that Harley was denied entry because another dog on the flight, Berry – a paralyzed border collie – was mistakenly thought to have rabies due to the dog’s paralysis and agitation from the tremendously stressful flight. Public outrage about Berry resulted in CDC reversing their decision and allowing Berry to stay. Yet Harley, who is believed to have met requirements set forth by federal regulations, is set to be deported as early as next week in a transatlantic flight that puts her life in danger.

The CDC’s bizarre decision also comes just weeks after Socrates’ a dog belonging to Peace Corps volunteer Audra Elam, faced deportation to Ghana due to CDC’s misguided interpretation of federal regulations regarding quarantine and rabies vaccinations. According to the CDC, Socrates would need to be sent back to Ghana, quarantined for 30 days, and then flown back to the U.S. – a nonsensical decision considering that federal regulations allowed for Socrates to be quarantined in the U.S. In July, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar tweeted a statement from Brian Harrison, HHS Chief of Staff, that Socrates the dog would not be sent back to Ghana, sparing Socrates’ life.

Just this week, 17 dogs were found suffering without food and water for three days at O’Hare airport after the CDC refused to release the dogs to their owners due to a paperwork issue. One dog died.

Animal Wellness Action (Action) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that’s why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones don’t. We believe helping animals helps us all.

The Animal Wellness Foundation (Foundation) is a Los Angeles-based private charitable organization with a mission of helping animals by making veterinary care available to everyone with a pet, regardless of economic ability. We organize rescue efforts and medical services for dogs and cats in need and help homeless pets find a loving caregiver. We are advocates for getting veterinarians to the front lines of the animal welfare movement; promoting responsible pet ownership; and vaccinating animals against infectious diseases such as distemper. We also support policies that prevent animal cruelty and that alleviate suffering. We believe helping animals helps us all.

Marty Irby
Animal Wellness Action
+1 202-821-5686
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