Federal authorities are scheduled to close Canada's borders on Wednesday to commercial dogs, including those being offered for sale or adoption, from more than 100 countries considered at risk of rabies. This move has been met with fierce opposition from some rescuers and animal advocates, but the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association says it is essential to protect people and dogs from a deadly disease.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also says that Canada currently has no active cases of rabies in dogs, which is caused by a different type of virus than the one that spreads in wildlife such as raccoons and foxes, and while rabies can be prevented nearly 100 percent by proper vaccination, the disease is fatal in over 99 percent of humans and dogs once symptoms begin to appear.

In the same context, Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice Canada, says the agency should have chosen less stringent measures, such as antibody testing to verify vaccination, before imposing a comprehensive ban. But Louis Quee-Quants, former president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, says he believes this policy is justified given the risks rabies poses to humans and dogs in Canada. Also, the association stated that rabies kills 59,000 people every year in countries affected by the ban, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, and mainland China.