Puppy imports will have to wait

BOSTON — A federal court in Massachusetts granted summary judgment to Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, which were sued by six animal rescue organizations over a policy requiring puppies to reach six months of age before they can be imported into the U.S. The policy is not arbitrary because, prior to that age, dogs often move in ways hard to distinguish from the movements of dogs with rabies. The World Organization for Animal Health recommends a seven-month waiting period before import, but the policy requires only six as an accommodation to rescues.