Former Lancastrian

I can answer this 2 ways.

1. Yes got another importing dog food whoo hoo high fives all around. My yearly tally now stands at X amount beat that other CBSA officers.

2. Excuse me maam you have some dog food that you have not declared and its prohibited. Oh Im sorry officer I didnt know. Well I am just going to give you a verbal warning this time and confiscate the food. OK officer thank you and I wont do it again.

There again travellers have been known to say FFS its only dog food have you lot got nothing else better to do. Try catching a terrorist ****ing stupid Govt workers blah blah. Now comments like that tend to make scenario 1 more likely
BTW I dont work at YVR.

Alan2005

It would seem reasonable to do (2). If they do it again or are arsey then fine them.

... well, they'd have a point wouldn't they. What's the justification for dog food not being allowed? I bet there isn't a good one really. Euro dog food is a higher quality that north american dog food because it has to be fit for human consumption (which isn't the case here).

Former Lancastrian

Better ask CFIA that question they make the rules and regulations. A bit like asking why certain vehicles are not allowed into Canada or why Alleve used to be prohibited or why we can only bring in $20 of dairy products or why cant we buy fireworks in the USA or why BC doesnt want private insurance companies selling motor vehicle insurance or why all provinces have a monopoly on selling booze etc etc etc.

Jingle

Thanks Alan! I wouldn't advocate breaking the law and she has been stopped twice on her six trips (goodness knows why as she is definitely NOT middle-aged - 90 on her last trip!!). She did not have anything confiscated. She is adamant about bringing treats again this year even though she knows she should not. This is the lady who brought over a couple of gammon steaks in her suitcase a few years ago

I have also brought dog treats back on a couple of occasions but have never been stopped so I'm not sure what would happen in that instance. I generally always take a polite approach, which seems to get you through (at least the first time).

My son mailed a huge box full of dog treats to us at Xmas, the box was opened and inspected and everything got through. It would seem that common sense sometimes prevails.

On a similar note we always take dog food back and forth across the US border when we are visiting - it has been noticed but never commented on.

People should just do what they feel comfortable with. If I was bringing my dog to Canada I would put some of his (unopened) dry food and treats in my checked baggage. If I got caught so be it .... it's a fair cop. The worst I can be accused of is caring about the wellbeing of my dog.

As Former Lancastrian points out it is often your reaction that provokes inaction or action.

J

JonboyE

Absolutely. Laws are there for other people.

Alan2005

Well, stupid laws like this are only there to keep the people that come up with them and enforce them in jobs - it's like welfare for government employees.

There's no practical reason whatsoever to make a sealed packet of dog treats illegal to bring in. It's a bollocks law and can be broken with a clear conscience in my opinion.

graham and george

Your dog will be fine for the 12 hours,we feed our 4 one meal a day at 17.00.Lots of water and a good clean out

Jingle

Apologies to OP for hijacking thread but I just want to respond to this.

JonboyE ... I believe that laws set the rules and boundaries for society, they define what is and what is not allowed or tolerated.

I hold myself morally responsible for all my actions. I tolerate rules I find tolerable; those I find ridiculous I either ignore or - shock horror - I may occasionally openly break them.

To quote Mark Twain "Laws control the lesser man... Right conduct controls the greater one."

So, no I am not arrogant enough to believe that laws/rules apply to everyone but me. When I said that people should be comfortable with what they do I meant just that.

It's only dog kibble for goodness sake ....

J

Former Lancastrian

Maybe the Govt used this from the report linked below

Even though Canada is unlikely to experience a BSE flare-up such as occurred in Europe, this single case of mad cow disease was enough to jeopardize an industry worth more than $7 billion annually.
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/Re.../prb0301-e.htm

Id say protecting an industry of $7 BILLION is not exactly bollocks.
Its not just live animals that cause BSE its the animal feed and parts of those animals that go into dog food and then imported into Canada that COULD spread BSE.
Up until 1993 there was no BSE in Canada and the 1st case involved a cow imported from the UK.

Alan2005

Again, that's bollocks. BSE is already a problem here and in the US. It's more likely that a Canadian cow will have BSE than a UK one. Also there has never been a documented case of BSE coming from a sealed packet of dog food. The policy is not based on science.

Former Lancastrian

Maybe then they base it on a risk as opposed to an actual case. Maybe they listened to the medical experts

Does Mad Cow Disease Affect Humans?

A human version of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is believed to be caused by eating beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from cattle infected with mad cow disease. For this reason, the USDA requires that all brain and spinal cord materials be removed from high-risk cattle -- older cattle, animals that are unable to walk, and any animal that shows any signs of a neurological problem. These cow products do not enter the U.S. food supply. The USDA believes this practice effectively safeguards U.S. public health from vCJD.

According to the CDC, no cases of vCJD have been identified in the U.S.

Having said that, it is important to clarify the differences between variant CJD and another form of the disease, referred to as classic or sporadic CJD. Classic CJD has no known cause and occurs each year at a rate of one to two cases per 1 million people throughout the world, including in the U.S. and countries where mad cow disease has never occurred. It is not linked to eating nerve tissue from mad cow disease-affected cattle -- both vegetarians and meat eaters have died from classic CJD. CJD most commonly affects people over 65 and is usually fatal within six months from onset of symptoms.

Alan2005

Yes, except that brain and spinal cord have been removed from all beef in the UK for a long time now. Even in pet food (which you cannot say about here). It's also not full of steroids and BGH, but whatever. This is definitely a law based on politics and not science. I wouldn't feel any guilt about breaking it any more than I would about going 20kph over the speed limit.

Former Lancastrian

And I wouldnt feel any guilt in issuing you an AMPS Penalty for $800 or a speeding ticket either.
Have you considered contacting CFIA and asking them why dog food from the UK cannot be imported into Canada?
Perhaps one of those underworked and overpaid Fed Govt workers will respond to your query and give you a reason and if not to your satisfaction you can re reply with BOLLOCKS


http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-th.../1299860643049

Alan2005

Of course you wouldn't feel guilt about enforcing pointless laws. You work for the CBSA.

Why bother when I can speed and smuggle dog food with impunity as it is.

Oink

I realize it’s frustrating simply being a small cog in a wheel of unremitting monotony, where remotely constructed policy controls your work. And that 'being on the sharp end" of such policy with no input can be alienating and a dispiriting experience. But just because you do, don't think the wider citizenry has to be morally connected to such arbitrary and capricious polices.