July 7, 2005
Bringing a dog to the US
If you're in a hurry, the short version is that you need to get your dog a rabies shot (and you need documentation) 30 days prior to bringing the animal to the US. Now the longer version:
The first thing a dog owner wants to do before bringing his dog to the United States is to have the dog examined thoroughly by a local veterinarian to make sure it is in good health. Although import restrictions only apply to dogs that have a disease that can be communicated to humans, subjecting an unhealthy dog to a long period of travel is simply a bad idea, and dangerous for the animal.
Quarantining a healthy dog that has lived in a rabies-free country for at least 6 months is not necessary in the mainland United States. U.S. Customs maintains a list of rabies-free countries, and the dog owner can find out from them or from a government official from their own country if the country they are arriving from is on that list. In the state of Hawaii, however, the list of rabies-free countries is much shorter, and their quarantining requirements for dogs that are from a country that is not on their rabies-free list can be as much as 120 days in a quarantine station. If certain strict requirements are met by the dog owner before and after entering the state of Hawaii, the quarantine period can be reduced to as low as 5 days. It is essential that dog owners contact the Department of Agriculture in Hawaii and learn of these requirements before traveling there with their dog.
For dogs traveling from a country that is not on the U.S. Customs rabies-free list, the owner must bring a valid certificate showing that the dog has had a rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arriving in the U.S. If the owner fails to bring a certificate, the dog must be vaccinated within 4 to 10 days after arrival and then quarantined in a facility of the owner's choice for 30 days. The same rules applies to dogs that were vaccinated less than 30 days before arriving in the U.S. - 30 days of quarantine at a facility of the owner's choice.
Posted by James Trotta at July 7, 2005 12:54 AM