Johnny Depp, Amber Heard face death-row wait for pet dogs after dodging Australian quarantine

JOHNNY Depp has been given 48 hours to get his two pet dogs out of the country after he failed to declare them for quarantine.

‘It’s time Boo and Pistol bugger off home’

EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood star Johnny Depp will have his two pet dogs seized by Australian authorities and possibly put down after he failed to declare them on the in-flight manifest.

The Department of Agriculture is investigating Depp after it emerged he was currently in Australia with his two Yorkshire terriers.

Officers from the Department of Agriculture have issued Depp and Heard with 48-hours notice to either remove the dogs voluntarily from the country or have them seized.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said this morning the two pooches needed to return home.

“It doesn’t matter if Johnny Depp has been awarded sexiest man alive twice, it’s time Boo and Pistol bugger off home,” Mr Joyce said.

“Mr Depp has to either take his dogs back to California or we’re going to have to euthanise them,” he added.

Depp, 51, and his wife, actor and model Amber Heard, 29, flew back into Australia last month so he could resume filming on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales on the Gold Coast.

The couple flew into Brisbane on a private jet and were accompanied by their pets.

But the dogs were not declared as entering Australia under normal requirements and so will be seized by authorities and either shipped back to the US or euthanised.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Macquarie Radio Depp and Heard could face fines as a result of their biosecurity breach.

He said no screening occurred of Depp’s plane because he didn’t declare anything that would raise customs’ suspicions.

“We’re obviously having a good look at (this matter),” he said.

Border control ... Johnny Depp pictured with one of his pet dogs which were brought into Australia without undergoing the mandatory quarantine controls. Source: Pinterest

“As people know when they come in on a commercial flight ... you need to make declarations and so people will sometimes make false declarations, if they get caught out, there’s a big fine attached to it, and no different to the same cards that people would need to fill out if they’re coming in on private jets.”

“But there should have still been a proper screening process that took place.”

A raid is due imminently and the dogs will be taken by police or department officials.

“Any animal which is imported without meeting Australia’s import conditions will be ordered into quarantine and will either be exported or euthanised,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture told News Corp Australia yesterday.

The Agriculture Department put out a statement today on the circumstances surrounding the dogs importation.

The department said it first became aware of the dog’s illegal importation on May 12 with a biosecurity officer attending the home in which they are staying yesterday.

“The dogs have been ordered into quarantine and the owners have been advised the dogs must be exported within 72 hours,” the statement read.

However the two pooches have been pictured still at the home in which the Hollywood star is staying this morning.

Diseases present in the US and not Australia amongst the dog population include rabies, ehrlichia, leishmania, leptospirosis and internal and external parasites. “These diseases are not present in Australia and some can affect people,” the Agriculture Department said.

A review in how the dogs slipped through customs is being conducted.

“Private jets are subject to the same strict biosecurity requirements as any other aircraft or vessel entering Australia,” the statement read.

Like family ... Amber Heard pictured with one of her dogs while in New York City in 2012. Picture: Getty/Ignat/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Cats and dogs are imported to Australia under strict conditions due to biosecurity risks.

Owners are required to obtain import permits and conduct numerous vet checks before the pet is allowed in the country.

When the pet arrives it is required to spend a period of time in quarantine. For dogs, Biosecurity dictates that is at least 10 days and can be extended if the animal shows signs of ill health.

The United States is classified as a category 3 country for biosecurity measures.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said biosecurity measures applied to everyone.

“It is important everyone, no matter who they are, pays attention to these rules,” he said.

Depp’s defiance of Australian measures means the pets could pose a threat to biosecurity.

Jetsetters ... Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s pet dogs pictured leaving a hotel in New York City. Source: Splash

The two dogs, Boo and Pistol, could be put down or shipped back to America.

It is understood the Department of Agriculture has already made contact with Heard and she is in negotiations to save their lives.

Australia rarely euthanizes animals, because owners generally take the option of sending them back home.

News Corp Australia understands Heard was maintaining the dogs were fully vaccinated and had not come into contact with other dogs during their time Down Under.

Boo and Pistol were taken to the Happy Dogz groomers at the Gold Coast on the weekend to be groomed after hours when no other dogs were in the store.

The salon owner Lianne Kent told News Corp Australia yesterday a handler bought the two pooches in on Saturday because Depp and Heard were both away.

Trigger happy ... “Pistol” being groomed by Happy Dogz salon's Lianne Kent. Picture: Lianne Kent

Guilt by association ... “Pistol” poses with Happy Dogz salon's Ellie Kent. Picture: Lianne Kent

She said the handler, who brought the dogs into the store in a handbag, did not leave the two dogs alone in the store due to “security reasons”.

“She said they were like Amber’s little babies so they couldn’t be left alone with people they didn’t know,” Ms Kent said.

However Ms Kent said the dogs were not booked in for subsequent grooming sessions.

As his beloved dogs are embroiled in controversy, Depp will get the chance to spend some time with two capuchin monkeys on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean 5.

A permit was recently issued for the exotic monkeys to enter Queensland, after the mandatory quarantine was finalised.