What do we need as far as paper work to cross the border with a dog? This would be from US to Canada and back to US.Thanks,Bob and Pat

Valid rabies certificate. And no open bags of dog food.

We have his rabies vaccination, dog food hasn't been a problem for us the last couple of years, as long as it is in its original container.

donn0128 wrote:Valid rabies certificate. And no open bags of dog food.Not quite:A signed health certificate, which includes a -full shot record. The rabies shot -must- be over a month before.Pet food is, complex.---Crossing the Border (Canada, U.S.) with Your PetPosted on February 13th, 2011 in Community, Pet Health Issues | Comments OffHeading into the U.S. or returning to Canada with Fluffy or Fido? This article is aimed at providing pet owners with information on what pet-related issues might arise at the border crossing. This is meant as a guideline, and although you may not always be asked for all this information, you should be prepared in case you are asked.First, identification via a tattoo or microchip is not mandatory but is strongly advised just in case you become separated from your pet while away. A microchip and a visible tag are best.A Rabies vaccine is necessary for crossing the border. You will need proof in the form of a Certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian. The vaccine should have been given at least 30 days before crossing into the U.S. This Certificate needs to include a detailed description of the dog including color, breed, sex, age, microchip information (if present) and markings. The Certificate will also give details about the vaccine given. The Rabies vaccine Certificate will indicate if it is valid for one or three years.Special note: A puppy younger than 12 weeks-old will not be allowed to be vaccinated for Rabies so no Rabies vaccine Certificate will be needed.Travelling back into Canada has similar requirements. Dogs over 12 weeks will need proof that a Rabies vaccine has been administered (i.e. a Rabies vaccine Certificate) and a tag to identify the dog. The one difference from the U.S. requirements is that a Rabies vaccine does not need to be given within 30 days travel, the vaccine is valid the moment it is given…..no 30 day waiting period.A Health Certificate will be needed as well to bring your pet across the border; your veterinarian can supply this upon request. If travelling by airplane it is best to ask the airline what additional requirements will be need to be met before you travel.Pet FoodBringing pet foods across the border into the U.S. has its own set of regulations, due to concern over Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease). Pet foods of Canadian origin (fresh, frozen or chilled, cooked, canned or otherwise processed products) that contain beef, veal, bison, and cervid (e.g. deer, elk, moose, caribou etc.) are now permitted when crossing the border from Canada. However, products containing sheep, lamb, or goat will not be allowed entry. The traveller must provide proof of the origin of beef, pork, poultry, cervid meat, and pet food in order to bring them into the United States. Examples of proof of origin include the grocery store receipt where the product was purchased or the label on the product indicating the province in which it was packaged.Pet foods that do NOT have these ingredients can be taken across the U.S./Canada border as long as they are in their original packages and the ingredient list can be read clearly. Any pet food in non-labeled packages may be confiscated. These regulations apply to both canned and dry pet foods.When returning to Canada, you may bring your pet’s food (limit of 20 kg) into Canada, if the import meets all of the following requirements: The pet food or product must be of United States or Canadian origin and be commercially packaged (i.e. not re-packaged into plastic bags or other containers). The pet food or product must be in the possession of the traveller at the time of entry from the U.S. The pet that will eat the imported product must accompany the traveller at the time of entry. The imported product is fed only to the pet that accompanied the traveller into Canada.----US rules on petsUSDA rulesCanadian rulesmore

n7bsn wrote:donn0128 wrote:Valid rabies certificate. And no open bags of dog food.Not quite:A signed health certificate, which includes a -full shot record. The rabies shot -must- be over a month before.A signed health certificate is NOT required. Just a rabies certificate.We cross the border a lot and have never had a signed health certificate for the dogs or the cat. In all our years, only one agent has actually looked at the rabies paperwork but most ask about it.The requirements are different if you're permanently importing a pet when moving to the other country.

Quite a number of us have had our vets (and more than one of those) recommend a health certificate from your vet. It's simple time your annual check up with vet to mesh with your trip plans.& you can then ask about any special considerations they may know of for the area where you're going to.:C

Border crossing with a pet | Good Sam Community

AKsilvereagle
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2013
The certificate is sufficient, tags are not mandatory.....

The requirement for the certificate is to also identify the animal with description and markings.

I crossed borders with pets in the past that wore no tags and was not ever an issue.
jandjhawk
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
Do we need the rabies tag or just the rabies cert? I have that and the shot record but NOT the tags. We have cats and they don't wear collars, so I didn't bring tags. We are thinking of going on to Ak since we are in OR headed to WA. We are this close, why not? Just don't want any issues with the fur babies!
colliehauler
Explorer III
Jul 10, 2013
ReneeG wrote:
dsa3778 wrote:
Is there a maximum number of dogs you can bring? I have 3 dogs, will this be ok?

Yes, we went with our three.
I have crossed many times with 4 Collies without any problems.
BigDaddyHfx
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
We just crossed into the US. Never asked about pets, food, firewood (never looked in anything). It was a 2 minute crossing.

We did have our health certificates and rabies tags for our 3 Border Collies. Be prepared as you don't know what will actually happen.

UPDATE: We just crossed back into Canada at the Houlton ME / Woodstock NB crossing. CBSA officer noticed one of the 3 dogs (deeply tinted rear windows in the F150 SuperCrew) and asked if the dog had its rabbies shot. I replied that all 3 had their shots and we had their health certificates. He never asked to see them. Only thing he did check was the registration on the trailer (in case we had bought it in the USA and were trying to sneak it into Canada I guess)

Bottom line is to be prepared but don't worry about it.
ReneeG
Explorer
Jul 09, 2013
dsa3778 wrote:
Is there a maximum number of dogs you can bring? I have 3 dogs, will this be ok?

Yes, we went with our three.
AuroraChick
Explorer
Jul 09, 2013
I have always gotten health certs to be on the safe side. I have only had one border person ask for documentation, out of 10 crossings. It was at the Alaska border, last summer. We were traveling with 3 dogs and he didn't seem to have any problems with that. He didn't even really do a thorough job of checking, he just asked to see the rabies info and when I opened my organized files to pull them out, I guess he figured they were legit, which they were.
Little_Kopit
Explorer
Jul 09, 2013
Going up to the stickys at the top of this page and looking for link for pets, Animals at Canadian Border - gov. page

I shall leave it for you to check under the Dogs link.

:C
dsa3778
Explorer
Jul 09, 2013
Is there a maximum number of dogs you can bring? I have 3 dogs, will this be ok?
atreis
Explorer
Jul 01, 2013
That's likely not applicable to MOST people here, as they own the dogs they take across....
Luke_Porter
Explorer
Jul 01, 2013
And the health certificate must be under 72 hours old----"The dog must be imported into Canada 72 hours or less after the examination."