SAF Asks Sixth Circuit to Correct District Court’s Error, Grant Preliminary Injunction

The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (SAF) filed the opening brief in the appeal of our lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) unlawful puppy ban in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. A panel of circuit court judges will now take a fresh look at SAF’s arguments that the CDC’s Dog Rule should be halted until the full legal process can play out. An injunction is not only needed to stop unlawful government rulemaking – it’s necessary to protect the interests and livelihoods of SAF members.

“We continue to respectfully disagree with the district court’s decision that the CDC has the authority to ban the entry of puppies into the United States,” said Michael Jean, Litigation Counsel for the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “Since CDC first announced its proposed rule, it’s been chasing its tail in an attempt to latch onto a lawful justification for the ban. It continues to come up empty, and we’re hopeful the Sixth Circuit will agree.”

The Dog Rule took effect in August 2024. SAF immediately sued, and asked the district court to preliminary enjoin the CDC from enforcing the ban. After months of briefing and arguments—and an announcement from CDC that it would be reconsidering the ban—the district court denied the injunction in April 2025. SAF appealed that denial to the Sixth Circuit.

SAF’s legal arguments remain sound. CDC exceeded its authority in promulgating the Dog Rule, and precedent from multiple courts, including the Supreme Court, concludes just as much. Additionally, just days before oral arguments, CDC announced a forthcoming notice of proposed rulemaking to potentially change the dog-import rule. The notice, along with prior regulatory walk-backs by the agency, indicates that CDC is second-guessing its own rule and may propose revisions to the requirements for the importation of dogs. Still, CDC continues to defend its unlawful rulemaking.

“While CDC continues to defend an unlawful rule and waffles on making necessary changes, our members are being irreparably harmed,” said Torin Miller, Associate Litigation Counsel for the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “We’re hopeful that a fresh set of eyes at the Sixth Circuit will see through CDC’s flawed legal theories and restore our member’s rights to import puppies and travel internationally with their young dogs.”

Sportsmen have been bullied long enough by animal extremists and unlawful government actions. The Sportsmen’s Alliance will no longer allow it to happen. Join us or donate to the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund to help stand up against the relentless assault on our values and lifestyle by animal extremists. Present and future generations are depending on your willingness to fight to protect the future of hunting, fishing, and trapping.