What is known to date about the rabies case involving a dog that entered the EU from Russia.

Many people are discussing this case right now: everyone has their own version, emotions, and suspicions. But one fact is clear: rabies in the dog has been confirmed by laboratory testing, which means the story automatically goes beyond a “private incident” and becomes a broader safety issue — for people, for other animals, and for the control system as a whole.

It is still too early to draw conclusions, and even more so to name anyone responsible. For now, all that remains is to follow the investigation and wait for the official findings of the German veterinary authorities and the police. Whether responsible parties will be identified and whether legal consequences will follow will become clear once the checks are completed.

The incident occurred in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the town of Dannstadt-Schauernheim. In November 2025, the dog was brought to Germany as part of a consignment of animals from Russia.

At the end of January 2026, the animal underwent surgery (the reason was not specified in the publications). During the same period, changes in the dog’s behavior were observed. On the day the symptoms appeared, the dog was isolated and placed at a quarantine station of an animal shelter.

During the night of January 24–25, the dog died. After death, samples were taken for laboratory testing. In February 2026, the laboratory officially confirmed infection with the rabies virus.

Local services reported that after receiving the results, they carried out standard measures: identified contacts — both people and animals — assessed the risk for each exposure, and where necessary recommended preventive vaccination. It was also emphasized that the information was shared with other authorities through a rapid alert mechanism, so that control would not be limited to a single district.

Later, a statement was issued by Latvia’s Food and Veterinary Service (PVD): according to their data, the route by which this dog entered the EU passed through Latvia on 25 November 2025. The PVD reminded the public that control services have repeatedly encountered falsified vaccination documents in animals imported from Russia and Belarus, and that for this reason the European Commission tightened the requirements: since autumn 2024, the accompanying documents must include a rabies antibody titre test — an analysis intended to confirm that vaccination was actually carried out and produced an immune response.

In parallel, a police review began. It was reported that the criminal police are investigating a possible violation of the Animal Health Act (Tiergesundheitsgesetz) and are working in contact with the veterinary authority. Details of the investigation have not yet been disclosed.

Soon after, information also emerged from a neighboring region of Germany — Saarland. The Ministry of the Environment reported that they had also identified dogs that could be linked to the same “collection point” in Russia through which, allegedly, transports were organized. These animals are under official supervision: rabies vaccination checks have been ordered, and some have been placed in protective quarantine. At the same time, the Saarland authorities separately stated that they do not currently see an increased rabies risk for the region.

The biggest questions in this story concern the documentation for this particular dog and how accurately it matched the actual facts. According to information from the district authorities, at the initial stage the import documents and microchip data raised no concerns: based on the records, the dog was considered vaccinated against rabies. Later, as reported, doubts arose about the correctness of the animal’s stated age, and also whether the documents might have related to this specific dog. If these suspicions are confirmed, it could mean that the animal had no real protection against rabies despite the paperwork formally meeting the requirements

Against the backdrop of this incident, German authorities also pointed to a broader problem: from January 2021 to February 2026, ten episodes were reported involving illegal import of puppies and/or falsified vaccination passports. According to the LKA, these cases concerned puppies that were allegedly imported illegally — from Russia, Romania, Serbia, and Poland. This is why attention is focused not only on the tragic outcome for one dog, but also on the question of how an animal with potentially problematic documentation was able to make its way into the EU — and what will be done to ensure such cases do not happen again.