CNN--Riviera Rescue with Carole Raphaelle Davis

Shelter dogs who were on the euthanasia list, or "red list" in California shelters welcomed by a team of rescuers for the Companion Animal Protection Society and the Santa Cruz SPCA. In video, Carole Raphaelle Davis, Mireile Rudeau and Jocelyne Dechaume of CAPS.

The rescued dogs were held up at the Nice airport for over three hours because of administrative complications having to do with micro-chips. The dogs had been each micro-chipped twice, once per regulations in CA shelters and again, for entry into the E.U.. This is the first rescue of its kind done in France.

The Companion Animal Protection Society, the Santa Cruz SPCA , the Société Défense des Animaux and Air France airlifted little death row dogs from Los Angeles shelters to Nice, France, where they were welcomed like stars on the famous Promenade des Anglais.

These dogs were to be killed because of the pet overpopulation crisis we are experiencing in the United States. In France, they do have a dog abandonment problem but there is a dearth of small, young adoptable dogs. In the U.S. we kill 5 million companion animals in our shelter system every year.

These dogs were vaccinated, sterilized, micro-chipped and quarantined 21 days before their departure for Nice, France. This effort is an attempt to educate the public about spay/neuter, about the concept of adoption and about puppy mills.

The pet stores of the Côte D'Azur are supplied by puppy mills and the people who could not find small adoptable dogs are buying puppy mill dog in these stores. There is a significant puppy trafficking business in the EU and CAPS is currently investigating the breeders and the pet stores they are supplying on the Riviera.

Riviera Rescue marks the internationalization of the Companion Animal Protection Society, which plans to expand its investigation of puppy mills and pet stores in the EU by working with lawmakers, law enforcement and local animal welfare organizations.