Johnny Depp has been ordered to send his two dogs, Boo and Pistol, back to the U.S. from Australia, or the little pups will be euthanized.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star has been given the ultimatum by Australia's agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce. On Thursday, May 14, he claimed that Depp had "snuck" his two Yorkshire terriers into the country on board his private jet when he arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday, April 22 to continue filming the fifth Pirates movie.
Depp's return to Australia followed his return to the U.S. (and consequent break in filming) to have surgery on his hand, which he had injured on the movie set. He traveled with his wife of two months, Amber Heard, and, allegedly, the two dogs.
"He has decided to bring to our nation two dogs without actually getting proper certification and the proper permits required," Joyce told reporters. "Basically, it looks like he snuck them in. We found out he snuck them in because we saw him taking them to a poodle groomer," he continued.
Australia has tough biosecurity laws to make sure diseases like rabies don't enter the country. And according the minister, neither being famous, nor being sexy, are good enough excuses for flouting the rules.
"There is a process, you get the permits, they go into quarantine, then you can have them. If we start letting movie stars, even though they've been the sexiest man alive twice, to come into our nation, why don't we just break the laws for everybody?"
Pistol and Boo were given 50 hours to exit Australia (from 8 a.m. local time on Australia's east coast) or face death.
“It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States,” Joyce added, succinctly.
