Border crossing with a pet

[iawoody2]

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

[AKsilvereagle]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Is there a maximum number of dogs you can bring? I have 3 dogs, will this be ok?

[atreis]

That's likely not applicable to MOST people here, as they own the dogs they take across....

[Luke_Porter]

And the health certificate must be under 72 hours old----"The dog must be imported into Canada 72 hours or less after the examination."

[frmAloha]

The Canadian information site reads as follows:
"Only dogs less than eight months of age that are not accompanied by their owners require a signed veterinary certificate of health."

[Community Alumni]

Depending upon the type of pet, the requirements are listed within the pet-type link;

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/imports/policies/live-animals/pets/eng/13266...

[Luke_Porter]

n7bsn wrote:
The government web-sites actually list the health certificate.

Where?

[AKsilvereagle]

At the minimum for crossing any USA-Canada border, all you need is a vaccination certificate which is valid for one to three years for a dog or cat.

Returning to Alaska crossing at Port Alcan, I had to present paperwork on my pets in 1991, 1998, 2008 - all other times US Customs never asked for paperwork...

In 1994 crossing at the old Port Skagway station, US Customs also asked me to present paperwork on the pet...

In 2006 and 2012, Canada Customs at the (Boundary) Poker Creek Station wanted to see paperwork on my pets as well upon entry...

Guess I got the "make sure I am in compliance with pet requirements" magnet as out of 23 total crossings for me, 11 of those border crossings were involved with pets as I had to present paperwork 6 out of 11 times when asked to submit.

Although you will not be asked everytime for paperwork pertaining to pets, just goes to show it is still a requirement that you have it whether sometimes asked or not at all.

Aadkins101 wrote:

I wish I could say the same for our US Customs people. They are abrupt, suspicious and make one feel unwelcome when returning to the US.

With the exception of the last two times I crossed back into Alaska at Port Alcan, I do tend to agree with this statement as I personally had more unpleasant encounters being leaned on at Port Alcan Alaska and Port Sumas Washington more than any other US port crossing or anywhere else for that matter, makes me cringe when it is time to cross back into the United States because of it while not wanting to leave Canada....overall the CBP are doing their job and all as I give them that much respect as so far I been permitted entry everytime entering Canada or upon returning to the US.