If you have a dog, and you regularly take it across the American-Canadian border, the way you do so changed as of August 1.
In the past, there were minimal restrictions. Now, dogs must be older than 6 months, be microchipped, and have a special “dog import form.”
That probably sounds like a hassle, but it’s actually a much more relaxed version of what was originally proposed. Back in May, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced new canine importation rules, to be implemented on August 1.
What they meant for dog owners crossing the American-Canadian border was a new host of rules and paperwork, including having your dog microchipped, having examination papers from a veterinarian, and a special certificate from a specific type of Canadian veterinarian.
“To just suddenly spring that on people was it was just really kind of outrageous,” said Garry Douglas, CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce.
For someone living in Colorado or Tennessee, that would mean nothing. But for people living on the border, Douglas says it’s a huge deal, and threatens economic activity between the Canada and the US.
“Canadians in particular come here and travel and vacation. They have their boats, campsites, second homes here,” said Douglas. “Of course they bring their dogs with them back and forth, and many Americans do so in the other direction in return.”
He says the proposed restrictions would have had “a real chilling effect on a lot of people and a lot of families as to as to how they travel. And I expect many of them would not travel if they couldn’t bring their dog.”
Douglas says the rules showed a lack of understanding on the CDC’s part of the intimate and casual relationship that Canadian-American border regions have with each other.
“Instead, we have them do things like this periodically that treat the US-Canadian relationship as if it was the US and Zimbabwe or someplace, which is literally what they were doing,” said Douglas.
He was referring to is the reason behind the new canine importation restrictions, which was to try and combat rabies communication from high risk rabies countries, which include Zimbabwe.
But Canada isn’t considered high risk rabies country. It’s a low risk country, like the US.
After a lot of outcry and lobbying from border legislators and veterinary groups in both, the CDC walked most of the restrictions back just last week.
But dogs will still need to be older than six months, appear healthy, be microchipped microchip, have proof of vaccination, and owners will need to fill out a CDC dog import form, which can be completed online, the day of travel.
Douglas says he’s hoping for some forebearance and understanding at the border for the first few weeks. “People will be turning up who don’t know about this, have been in Canada with their dogs or are coming down and say, ‘oh, I didn’t know I had to do that.'”
Douglas says while last week’s changes make the rules lot less onerous than before, it’s still a hassle, and the fight isn’t over. He says many groups would like to see all the restrictions lifted, because they dilute the strong American-Canadian connection.
“From a big picture point of view we are just always concerned about any things like this that are unnecessary, but that in any way diminish the very special relationship we have cross-border and with our border regions with Canada,” said Douglas.
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