The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) has appealed a court order denying a preliminary injunction that prohibited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from enforcing a ban on importing puppies into the United States.
In August, CDC banned dogs under six months old and dogs without implanted microchips from entering—and in some cases, reentering—the country. Not only does this deprive sportsmen of the opportunity to purchase quality sporting breeds, but it means that they cannot return with their dogs from a field trial or hunting trip across the border.
This ban was implemented under the same statute that CDC used to suspend evictions and require masking on airplanes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the COVID regulations, this ban was also implemented with flimsy justifications. In this case, the ban is purportedly needed to prevent the reintroduction of rabies in the U.S. and reduce fraudulent pet importations. But the ban applies to countries that the CDC has declared rabies free, and nobody is actually checking for fraudulent entries. This is rulemaking for the sake of rulemaking.
SAF immediately sued, and asked for an injunction against the rule. After months of briefing and arguments—and an announcement from CDC that it would be reconsidering the ban—the court denied the injunction in April 2025.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s conclusion that the law authorizes the ban, and that CDC engaged in reasoned decision making,” said Michael Jean, litigation counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “So, we’re asking the Sixth Circuit court of Appeals to reverse the denial.”
Check back with us at American Hunter for future developments on the story.
