I am part of the close-knit border town community of Point Roberts, Washington, whose livelihood widely revolves around visitors to sustain our economy. More than half of the home owners here are Canadian and the border guards say that during the summer up to 70% of people crossing have dogs with them.

Unfortunately, the new CDC mandate, requiring a microchip and additional rabies vaccination documentation for dogs entering the United States, threatens to disrupt our lives, businesses and overall enjoyment of cross border living.

This policy imposes an undue burden on countless dual citizens and cross border workers and would critically impact our summer economy. Beyond the additional cost and logistics, the psychological impact on animals should not be overlooked. Forcing dogs through invasive microchipping and additional vet visits can lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety in animals. 

The CDC admits that this new rule was implemented in order to combat falsified documentation by importing rescues. As someone that rescues dogs myself, I completely agree that these rules should be enforced on new rescue dogs entering the country. They should NOT effect personal dogs and their families.

About 63.4 million U.S. households own a dog (Insurance Information Institute, 2018) and under these new CDC rules being implemented on August 1st, 2024 if any of those people wanted to come up to Canada for a day trip to grab some poutine or watch a hockey game with their dog, they would be forced to go through undue paperwork and veterinarian visit in order to bring their dog back home.

Therefore, we urge the CDC to reconsider their stringent requirements for dogs entering the United States because of the significant impact they have on small communities, individuals, and the dogs themselves. We're not against managing the health risks, but these measures seem excessive and harmful to some. Please sign this petition to show the CDC that we expect them to find a more suitable, less intrusive solution to this issue.