On behalf of dog mushers and breeders worldwide, I am starting this petition to ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  to modify their upcoming changes to the import requirements for dogs.

Dog mushers in both Canada and the USA routinely cross the border with dogs in order to participate in dog sled races.  Typically we are crossing with anywhere from 2 to 24 dogs, depending on the race and the number of teams racing.   

Because the AKC and the US have not previously required microchipping of dogs in the past, many of our dogs are not yet microchipped.  The new regulations state that any rabies vaccines given prior to microchipping will no longer be accepted as valid when entering the USA.  This creates not only a financial hardship for larger dog teams who will need to microchip and re-vaccinate anywhere from 10-24 dogs at once, it also means over-vaccinating some of the dogs just to attend a race this upcoming season.

This also will negatively impact dog sled races in both the USA and Canada who rely on entries from both countries to put on their event; mushers from Canada will now have more difficulty  entering the US to participate in a race or other dog event. Many of these dog mushers have already stated that they will opt to not race as a result of the cost and paperwork, which will negatively impact the number of entries in races and impact tourism in many areas of the US as a result.

A good example of this is the Can-Am Crown race in Maine:  40-60% of their race entries each year are from Canadians.  Not only do these Canadians come to race, they stay in hotels in the Fort Kent Maine area and frequent restaurants, bars, stores and gas stations.  This is a serious loss of tourism dollars for an area that relies heavily on tourism for its economy.

The same effect would be felt in other areas of Northern New England, Minnesota, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin, Montana and particularly in Alaska where the only feasible way for dog teams from the lower 48 to reach Alaska for dog sled races is via crossing Canada up the Alaska/Canadian Highway.  All of these states have major dog sled races each fall and winter that rely on dog teams crossing the borders to compete.

In the past, all that was required to bring a team of dogs across the border (which can consist of anywhere from 6 dogs to 24 dogs) was a valid rabies certificate for each dog.  These new requirements state a dog must also have an ISO-compatible microchip given prior to the rabies vaccine and have documentation endorsed by an official veterinarian completed within 30 days before arrival. 

For dog mushers who race over the course of 4-5 months, this will involve getting this paperwork done multiple times during the course of the racing season.  Veterinarians do not work for free, and the animal care industry is already overtaxed since COVID-19.  This will put even more strain on that industry.

In addition, many of us obtain puppies from breeders in other countries.  The new regulation preventing pups from entering the USA until 6 months of age will result in many foreign breeders to refuse to place puppies with US-based kennels because it would mean they need to care for and feed that pup an extra 3-4 months.  This limits our genetic pool and affects the diversity and health of our breeds.

These are just the negative impacts these new requirements will have on a single subset of what has become an enormous industry:  dog conformation and sports.  Other dogs breeds also compete in events and routinely cross the border from Canada to the US for events and trials that are specific to their particular breed.

We we urge the CDC to revise their new import requirements for dogs  crossing from Canada into the USA (both low-risk rabies countries) to the following:

1.  Redefine what ‘import’ means in terms of dogs crossing the border.  When we travel to other countries and take goods with us and return with them, we are not importing those goods back to the US.  The same should be said of our dogs.  A Canadian dog entering the USA for a weekend to participate in a dog event is not changing its country of residence and should not be subject to the same rules of entry as a dog being imported to reside in the United States.  And a dog who resides in the USA traveling with its owner to Canada for a short period of time and then returns to the USA with its owner should also not be considered an ‘import’.   Dogs who fall under these specifications should continue to be allowed to enter the USA with only a valid rabies certificate and not the additional CFIA paperwork endorsements.


2. For dogs who are traveling with their owners and not being ‘imported’ as defined in #1 above, postpone until 2026 the requirement that any rabies vaccine given before microchipping is considered invalid.  This will allow any rabies vaccine that was administered before August 1 2024 to continue to be valid, even if it was given prior to microchipping or by a non USDA-accredited veterinarian, until such date that the rabies certificate is expired.  Modifying this requirement will prevent over-vaccination of dogs and ease the financial burden of needing to re-vaccinate a large number of dogs at once.

3. Modify the age regulation for puppies coming from low-risk countries to allow those under 6 months to be imported, so long as they are properly vaccinated for rabies prior to entry.  One solution other countries are doing in these cases is requiring that the rabies vaccine be given 21 days before entering the country; this would be a valid and reasonable modification for pups being imported from low-risk countries.

Please sign this petition urging a revision of these stringent measures.