On behalf of international dog rescues in Mexico, and worldwide, we are starting this petition to ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  to stop/pause the upcoming regulation on dogs entering the US. Considering there have been only 4 cases of dog-transmitted rabies in the US since 2015 (and all from high-rabies countries), we argue that the new regulations are excessive, punitive, and a severe overreach.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: In Mexico, the only government agency who can sign the CDC forms is SENASICA. It has come to our attention that currently, SENASICA will NOT sign the CDC documentation. This information has come directly from the Mexico City headquarters. Further, it appears that the CZE forms (current live-animal export forms that SENASICA signs for export of dogs to other countries) will not work for the CDC requirements. 

As of June 16, 2024, there is NO pathway to legally cross a dog from Mexico into the US. 

Please sign below to let the CDC know you object. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new regulation for ALL dogs entering the US whether arriving by land, air, or sea. Once it goes into effect August 1, 2024, the new regulation will impact each of the 1 million or so dogs that enter the country on a yearly basis.

This regulation was passed through a Regulatory process (not a Legislative one); meaning, the decision for the changes was made internally and without legislative oversight. Though the CDC has executive authority to make changes in this manner, we argue that they were pushed through despite clear concern and opposition from other organizations and the public, as evidenced by reading through a large and randomized sampling of the 2.1k comments collected in 2023, as well as comments from other organizations such as the Humane Society, and the AKC. 

The new CDC policy adopts language from H.R.6921, “The Healthy Dog Importation Act”, changing the definition of ‘Importer’ from “any person who, for purposes of resale, transports into the United States puppies from a foreign country” to “Any person who transports or causes the transportation of a dog into the United States from a foreign country.”

And yes, if you're an American who wants to travel abroad with your beloved pet or service dog (and bring it back), this means you too. Nobody is exempt. 

This new regulation took many by surprise, including APHIS/USDA-trained vets. It was rushed through as though there’s an introduced rabies public health crisis, but this is simply not true; there have been only 4 cases of introduction by dogs since 2015 and those were from high-rabies countries, not places like Mexico and Canada. 

Per the CDC's own language: "Contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies deaths in this country." They add, "The disease is rare in humans in the US, with only 1 to 3 cases reported each year." There is no data to show that a single person has died from a rabies bite in the US from a dog that was in the US. 

WE ARGUE THAT THE CURRENT METHODS OF DOG IMPORTATION FROM NO/LOW- RABIES COUNTRIES ARE SUFFICIENT, GIVEN NO EVIDENCE OF HUMAN DEATHS FROM RABIES CAUSED BY AN IMPORTED DOG. 

 

WHO IS IMPACTED:

ANY dog arriving into the US from ANY country, whether by land, air, or sea. This includes:

• Americans who drive to Canada or Mexico, even if just for an afternoon. 
• Service dogs, active military service member's dogs, and those belonging to people who work for the government.
• AKC registered purebreds who show internationally. 
• Dog sledding dogs who frequently cross into Canada for events. 
• Americans who fly abroad with their dog. 
• Dogs arriving from reputable international rescues with rigorous health protocols in place.
• Dogs arriving from no/low dog-transmitted rabies countries including Mexico and Canada. 

 

WHAT THE NEW REGULATION CALLS FOR:

Regardless of where one’s travel originated, the new regulations will apply, though there are three main categories: 1) Dogs that have been vaccinated in the US, 2) Dogs that have been vaccinated in (or are arriving from) a low-risk or rabies-free country, and 3) Dogs that have been vaccinated in a high-risk country.

Under the ALL DOGS section are the following provisions:

• Be at least 6 months of age at time of entry into the United States
• Have an ISO compliant microchip implanted. 
• Have a CDC Dog Import Form filled out for every single crossing. 

Then depending on the last country the dog was in (whether in a low or high rabies country) and whether it was vaccinated in the US for rabies and the proper form registered, a corresponding form will need to be filled out by a licensed veterinarian and then signed again by an "official government veterinarian". 

 

OUR GRIEVANCES:

 
If the CDC restrictions go into play, dogs in rescues across Mexico, and the rest of the world will pay the cost. Here are our main objections:
 

6 MONTH MINIMUM AGE:

As is common knowledge, younger puppies are easier to adopt than older ones. Further, the longer a puppy is in a rescue facility, the higher their chances of developing behavioral issues are since most facilities can’t give a puppy ample one-on-one time, nor train them. Additionally, the added expense of feeding a puppy for an extra 2-3 months during a rapid growth cycle is significant.

In one breath in the 123 page Final Rule provided by the CDC, they rationalize that a dog can receive a rabies vaccine at 3 months and that it takes 28 days to take full effect (totaling a 4 month age minimum), and in the next sentence, they state flatly that the minimum age will now be 6 months, an addition of 2 extra months, which in the world of rescue can be a make or break point. 

SIGNATURE OF LICENSED GOVERNMENT VETERINARIAN:

Though Mexico has officially eliminated dog-transmitted rabies (it was the first World Health Organization (WHO) certified dog-transmitted rabies-free country in the world), we will be subjected to this rigorous secondary step, which truth be told, may not be possible to implement due to time restraints combined with lack of accessibility to official government veterinarians.

A physical exam by a licensed private practice veterinarian will need to occur no more than 30 days from arrival into the US. One of the two forms available to dogs born in Mexico will need to be filled out (only available in English) and sent to an official government veterinarian in the country of origin. An official government export form may also be used, once they're updated to meet the CDC/US entry criteria. 

UPDATED INFORMATION: Through the kindness of a fellow rescuer in Mexico City, we how have a list of "official government veterinarians". It is our understanding that SENASICA veterinarians will be the ones to validate the information on the exam performed by a licensed veterinarian.

SENASICA is charged with agricultural health inspections and agents can be found (at least in theory) in any international airport. You can access the list HERE. In BCS, there should be SENASICA representation at each of our airports (Loreto, La Paz, San Jose del Cabo, and Cabo San Lucas. In BC there should be one in Algodones, Ensenada, Mexicali, Tecate, and Tijuana. 

This rescuer also shared that two experienced vets in Mexico City said that no solution for filling out forms to meet the CDC's criteria exists yet. Further, they shared that they don't anticipate this happening until mid-July. 

We don't know if there will be a method for uploading the form from the examining vet to SENASICA (at time of writing, their portal for uploading documents does not work and apparently never has). Nor how the form will be sent back to the owner. Or what type of turnaround they will need (what used to take about 2 days may now take weeks and will be 100% reliant on the efficiency of each country's federal government). Further, we are doubtful that airports will feel favorably about people showing up and using the SENASICA office for travel that doesn't involve flying. 

The point must be argued that without the cooperation of Mexico, Canada, and other countries, and without them tasking their own resources and official government veterinarians, meeting the CDCs criteria and timeline will be impossible (the CDC has given less than 3 months from announcing this new regulation to it's launch date). 

Though we are focusing on the CDC's impact on international rescue organizations such as ours here at Mulegé Animal Rescue (MAR), it's worth noting that average Americans will also have quite a challenge attaining compliance. Only a USDA veterinarian may fill out the "Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccine", and that form will need to then be uploaded into another portal for secondary verification with VEHCS (at the cost of $38 for the first dog atop the initial exam, rabies vaccine, and application costs at the USDA vet). Currently each VEHCS office services numerous states. There is a question as to their ability to even meet an increase in form verification demand. Further, most USDA vets from what we are hearing are not accepting new patients, and those who are, are charging anywhere from $150 per visit all the way up to $1,200. 

 

LIKELY IMPACT:

As rescues, we are all feeling incredible tension as it is; finding adopters is already a major issue and all rescues we know on the Baja peninsula are beyond capacity. These added measures for US adopters will significantly drive up rescues' holding costs for each dog. Plus, for rescues in smaller towns, most US adopters traveling through won't be able to wait 3-4 weeks for this process to complete. There’s also the high likelihood that adopters won’t even want to risk bringing a dog from Mexico, knowing they may get turned around.

Every single rescue organization we know here on the Baja peninsula goes above and beyond to ensure dogs heading north are healthy and ready for the journey. Dogs arriving from Mexico and other countries in Central and South America have not introduced a single case of dog-transmitted rabies in the US, at least not since the CDC began sharing data on rabies introductions from imported dogs in 2015. So why are we being so harshly punished?

Under the CDC’s ‘All Dogs’ rules: 

“Dogs that do not meet all entry requirements or do not have accurate and valid forms will be denied entry to the United States and returned to the country of departure at the importer’s expense. These requirements apply to all dogs, including service dogs and dogs that were born in the United States.”

As Sandy Stambaugh Motter from Casa Sheila (and co-founder of Spaying for Change) said: 

“The new CDC guidelines are going to crush rescue, seriously crush it, I didn’t sleep last night trying to figure things out.” 

Rebecca J Lemmon, USDA DVM shares: 

“Yes, it’s a mess. My head is swimming just trying to read the rules and technical instruction document for how we’re supposed to fill out the certification of US issued rabies vaccination. Half of it doesn’t even make sense and it’s too strict. It assumes that there are lots and lots of USDA certified vets around, and there are not"

Please join us and many other organizations including the Humane Society and the American Kennel Club (AKC) in putting an immediate stop/pause to this new regulation. It was rushed through, without adequate time (or transparency) for the public, and other large organizations to respond.

Stipulating that only a licensed government veterinarian can complete the form, combined with the 6 month minimum age requirement will greatly harm rescue organizations around the world, and is unnecessary if you look at CDC's data from no/low-rabies countries.

Please sign and let the CDC know clearly that you do NOT support these new changes.

Gracias from all the amazing, deserving, beautiful rescues around the world. 

Authors: Gabriella Stupakoff Morrison, MAR Mulegé Animal Rescue and Daniel Powell, journalist