The new requirements that dog owners will have to comply with from 1er August restrictions on crossing the border with the United States will be relaxed, Health Minister Mark Holland announced on Wednesday. A grace period of “a few months” is also expected to be granted.
“The good news is that these new measures are affecting so many people, and for absolutely no reason, that discussions will certainly continue,” Health Minister Mark Holland said Wednesday during a press briefing on the subject.
The minister announced that the measures required by the United States for people traveling with their dogs will be relaxed, at least for travelers coming from Canada. These measures were to be effective from 1er August 2024, but the minister specified that a “grace period of a few months” should be granted – without giving further details.
As for the relaxations, the U.S. public health authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will not require the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to issue an export certificate. This was a point that required “clarification” and was causing great concern among owners, as the CFIA had still not started issuing certificates, just two weeks before the new measures were to come into effect.
Next, the CDC will not require a specific microchip – any type of microchip should be fine. Rabies vaccination will still be required, however, and will need to be confirmed by a form filled out by a veterinarian. This form will be valid for the duration of the vaccine being effective (between 1 year and 3 years).
Another form will have to be filled out by the dog’s owner (but not by a veterinarian) each time he crosses the border with his pet. “For me, this obligation is not acceptable,” said the minister, who stressed that he is still in negotiations with the CDC to ease this requirement.
When it comes to service dogs or guide dogs, like the Mira dogs, Holland said he wants to convince the CDC to make an exception for these animals. But again, discussions are still ongoing on that.
Marie-Eve Fournier’s column “Will this dog Mira be able to cross to the United States in August?”
He also said he would not tighten his requirements for dog owners from the United States entering Canada.
The minister did not hide his incomprehension about these new measures on the American side. “I will be frank. When I saw these new requirements, I said to myself, ‘Are they serious?'” he said. However, he did not specify when the various points of discussion mentioned above will be concluded, nor how long the grace period will be.
These new measures, put in place by the United States, aim to prevent canine rabies from being reintroduced into their territory: they believe they have eradicated it since 2007. However, Canada is not a high-risk country; but this is the case for certain South American countries, such as Cuba, Brazil and Colombia.