Pup-roar as Depp’s dogs hounded out of Australia

Facing imminent death, Johnny Depp’s dogs Pistol and Boo were last night on a flight due to from Australia to the US after the agriculture minister angrily accused the Hollywood actor of sneaking the pups into the country.

Sat, 16 May, 2015 - 01:00

Kristen Gelineau

Barnaby Joyce said he was told the Yorkshire terriers were to return to the US aboard a private jet, after the government ordered the actor to get his dogs out of Australia by today or they would be euthanised.

Joyce told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the dogs’ imminent departure was “the best news that I’ve got”.

The canine chaos erupted after Joyce accused Depp of smuggling in the dogs when he returned to Australia on April 21 to resume filming the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series at Gold Coast studios.

Australia has strict quarantine regulations to prevent diseases such as rabies spreading to its shores. Bringing pets into the country involves applying for a permit and a quarantine on arrival of at least 10 days.

The Agriculture Department told Depp and his wife Amber Heard on Wednesday they had to send Pistol and Boo back to the US within 72 hours or the animals would be euthanised.

“If you start letting movie stars — even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice — to come into our nation [with pets], then why don’t we just break laws for everybody?” Joyce said. “It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”

The doggie drama prompting a petition to save the pooches and the social media hashtag #WarOnTerrier. Joyce received both commendation and criticism. with some praising him for defending the laws and others cringing over a perceived crass response.A spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department who spoke on customary condition of anonymity said Depp’s case is a rarity, with only an average of one dog per year arriving in Australia without the proper permit. The choice given to Depp is in line with policy: either returning the animal to its home country, or having it euthanized.