Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The Dogs Johnny Depp Snuck Into Australia Are On Death Row
Johnny Depp (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
()
Johnny Depp is in the doghouse with the Australia government for smuggling his two Yorkshire terriers into the country on a private jet. Australian officials say that actor has until Saturday to send his pooches back to California or they'll be facing a death sentence.
The 51-year-old star is in Australia right now filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment, New York Daily News reports. Depp had left the Gold Coast set to go to the U.S. earlier this year to get surgery after he cut his hand on a glass door. When he returned to Australia in April, he apparently snuck in his two furry buddies, Boo and Pistol.
Australia has some strict laws about bringing dogs into the country, and Depp didn't get the proper permits and certification to do so, Australia's Minister of Agriculture Barnaby Joyce said, according to CNN. Dogs that come into the country are required to be quarantined for at least 10 days, a precautionary measure to ensure that non-native diseases like rabies or parasites don't spread in Australia.
Joyce said they discovered Depp's dogs after the actor took them to a dog groomer. Happy Dogz, a salon in Queensland posted on its Facebook page on May 12, "It's an honour to be grooming Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's two Yorkshire Terriers." It was accompanied by an article the Gold Coast Bulletin published where the Happy Dogz owner talked about her experience with Depp's dogs.
Support for LAist comes from
Johnny Depp’s Dogs Face Execution in Australia: http://t.co/xPeWKejm6p pic.twitter.com/SCy0lv3mSC
— RYOT (@ThisIsRYOT) May 14, 2015
While the Department of Agriculture wouldn't divulge details to CNN about Depp's dogs since they don't comment on individual cases, they did mention that they went to a home in Gold Coast on May 13 and found two pups that were in the country illegally. The dogs are in "home quarantine" right now, according to ABC 7
Joyce said Depp has until Saturday to get his dogs out of the country or they'll euthanize them. "If we start letting movie stars, even if they've been 'Sexiest Man Alive' twice, to come into our nation then why don't we just break the laws for everybody," he said. "It's time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States. After that I don't expect to be invited to the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean."
Some folks are rallying in support of Depp. There's a Change.org petition that's garnered over 4,000 signatures of its 15,000 goal to save the dogs from being seized and killed, saying Joyce's demands "seem so extreme and unnecessary."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist