PITTSFIELD – After Hurricane Katrina good-hearted people began rescuing abandoned or stray animals, but now disease-laden dogs arriving in Maine are threatening the health of pets.

Norma Worley, director of Maine’s Animal Welfare Division, said Friday that “rescue” groups are coming into Maine twice a month for pre-arranged meetings.

They have a van filled with up to 30 dogs, they meet a buyer in a parking lot and they turn a dog over for $400 cash – no questions asked.

“You would think that people could see the danger in this,” Worley said.

But they don’t.

“These are people with good hearts who unfortunately in trying to rescue one dog are endangering thousands of Maine dogs,” Worley said. One of the illnesses being imported into the state with these “parking lot dogs” is canine distemper.

“We haven’t seen distemper here in years,” she said. Most of the imported animals have also not been vaccinated against various diseases, including rabies, she said.

One pet owner spent $3,000 trying to save one of these “parking lot dogs” which eventually had to be euthanized. Another spent almost $5,600 and the pet lived.

“We are seeing some extremely, extremely sick pups,” Worley said.

“Just this morning we got a call from a veterinarian in Presque Isle asking what is going on. They have distemper in Presque Isle. These so-called rescued dogs are being shipped all over the state.”

Worley said that according to state law, all dogs and cats imported from out of state for retail must have health certificates and be properly quarantined to ensure they are in good health before they are adopted or sold. However, when the dogs are brought in privately, the rules don’t apply.

“We are currently seeking an emergency rule change,” Worley said. “That would allow us to require more than just immunization records and would give us the ability to quarantine the dogs immediately. No more parking lot handovers.

“It’s important for the public to be aware of this situation and educate itself before answering an ad in the paper or on the Internet for the ‘cute little fuzzball,'” she said.

“You do the math,” Worley said. “Someone coming into the state twice a month with 30 dogs at $400 a dog. That’s about a quarter million dollars [in a year]. Someone is getting rich here and it’s not the pups.”

For information, contact the Animal Welfare Program toll-free at (877) 269-9200 , e-mail animal.welfare@maine.gov, or check online at www.maine.gov/agriculture/aw .