Taking dogs into Canada and back

[rbpru]

We will be in Ely Minnesota on vacation and plan a trip into to Canada. We will have two dogs with us and plan to stay overnight.

Are there any problems with getting our dogs into and out of Canada?

We have the Rabies certificates.

[GordonThree]

Regarding pet food, it's one of those things that is going to be a per person + guard interaction. Chances are if you worry about something (and act worried,) the guards will worry about it too.

Over the last month I crossed the CAN/US border 5 times (Hyder Alaska has no inspection but Stewart does). I was not asked about dog food and I did not volunteer information about dog food. Still have the bag I started with, but it's almost empty. Also a large box of dog biscuits, both have logged a lot of road miles 🙂

[wildcomfort]

I was also very interested in this topic as I have a pit of my own. The original plan was to go north through Minnesota to Canada and then west through Canada to Seattle. Now knowing the ban in Ontario cuts our trip down and makes me wonder why this ban is still in place as any dog has the potential to be aggressive. 😕

[Caveman_Charlie]

rbpru wrote:
Caveman Charlie,

My “Kids” are in their late 40’s and I am about to finish my 70th orbit of the sun. We still canoe but now grandpa carries the fishing poles and the teenage youg’ns carry the packs and canoes.

We started the grandkids canoeing in the Boundary Waters before their first birthday and they have grown to love the out of doors as do my daughter and son-in-law.

Long portages are not our forte but grandma and grandpa can still hold our own on the water.

Oh , I see. I thought you meant you had kids of the "still in school" age. I hope I'm doing nearly as well as you when I've reached 70 orbits of the sun. I'm having trouble keeping up with the young teen kids we hired on the farm to pick rocks. You would think because I'm stronger that it would be easy but, for some reason my butt is really dragging at the end of the day and they are still wide awake.

[jspence1]

I had absolutely no idea I couldn't travel with pet food. They didn't mention it at my nexus interview either.

OK I looked into it and only certain meats are not allowed into the US and everything is allowed into canada.

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

[Nvr2loud]

mooky stinks wrote:

Nvr2loud wrote:

michigansandzilla wrote:
I have personally never travelled with a dog to canada, but I know that pit bulls or any mix thereof, is illegal in Ontario. My sis-in-law has a lovely mixed breed with pit bull in it, and she won't go into Ontario with him.

Pit bulls are not banned from being in Ontario. There is a ban on breeding or purchasing a new pit bull (or mix)

Anyone who already has a valid dog tag for a pit bull is permitted to keep that animal until the dog dies. New dog tags will not be issued for pit bulls.

Visitors are permitted to travel with pit bulls into Ontario.

It is a stupid ban!

That's funny because I just looked it up and everything I see says you can't bring a Pitbull or any mix into Ontario. Can you indentify your source?

This is right off the Ontario Attorney Generals website:


Importing Pit Bulls
It is against the law to bring pit bulls into Ontario, even for a short visit.
There are no exceptions made for:
Tourists
People moving to Ontario, or
Military personnel being transferred to Ontario postings.

Well I stand corrected... we have always been of the belief that visiting dogs are exempt from the ban. Apparently that only applies to registered show dogs and flyball participant dogs. Must not be terribly enforced, there are still lots and lots of pitbull dogs here, both residents and visitors. My kids were just playing with two pitbull puppies at a provincial park last weekend... visiting from Vermont. I suppose that the owner is in direct violation of the ban and risks having his dogs seized, that would not be a risk I'd be willing to take. A fine is one thing, seizure of my dogs would not be acceptable.

[vic46]

The following is the gist of the Ontario legislation. In the event this is not good enough, there is a link to the Ontario legislation as amended in 2006. Clause 6, fairly clear I would suggest.

Pit Bull
The primary dog law in Ontario that bans specific canines is part of the :)Dog Owners' Liability Act.:) The thrust of the dog ban is aimed specifically at pit bulls. A grandfather clause in the legislation, which came into effect in 2005, permits owners who had pit bulls prior to the enactment to keep their animals. However, the law also requires that owners sterilize the pets and always leash and muzzle the animals when away from home.
Pit Bull Relations
Other dogs closely related to the pit bull breed are covered by the law that bans pit bulls. According to the Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario's website, three other specific breeds are included in the ban. The Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier are all prohibited breeds.
Dangerous Dogs
Dogs in Ontario that pose a threat to people are banned, no matter which breed they belong to. This means that any dog that has bitten a person in the province could potentially be declared dangerous. This results in court-mandated protective measures, which could include a court order for the destruction of the dog.
Dogs that Look Like Pit Bulls
An important distinction in the law in Ontario is that a dog falls under the pit bull law even if it is not a pit bull but could be mistaken for one. This gives lawmakers and enforcement officers the right to declare a dog illegal if it resembles the breed, even if its bloodline does not conform to the breeds already mentioned. Unless an owner can prove that his dog is purebred and belongs to a breed not related to the pit bull, the owner could be at risk of losing any dog that closely resembles a pit bull.

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90d16_e.htm/

[Community Alumni]

Nvr2loud wrote:

dwright1969 wrote:
I live on the Canadian border. I travel with my dogs there frequently. I bring the shot records. I have never had an issue with them not being in French.

English OR French.... must be in one of those languages.

I guess I have trouble reading English too. 🙂

[rbpru]

Caveman Charlie,

My “Kids” are in their late 40’s and I am about to finish my 70th orbit of the sun. We still canoe but now grandpa carries the fishing poles and the teenage youg’ns carry the packs and canoes.

We started the grandkids canoeing in the Boundary Waters before their first birthday and they have grown to love the out of doors as do my daughter and son-in-law.

Long portages are not our forte but grandma and grandpa can still hold our own on the water.

[mooky_stinks]

Nvr2loud wrote:

michigansandzilla wrote:
I have personally never travelled with a dog to canada, but I know that pit bulls or any mix thereof, is illegal in Ontario. My sis-in-law has a lovely mixed breed with pit bull in it, and she won't go into Ontario with him.

Pit bulls are not banned from being in Ontario. There is a ban on breeding or purchasing a new pit bull (or mix)

Anyone who already has a valid dog tag for a pit bull is permitted to keep that animal until the dog dies. New dog tags will not be issued for pit bulls.

Visitors are permitted to travel with pit bulls into Ontario.

It is a stupid ban!

That's funny because I just looked it up and everything I see says you can't bring a Pitbull or any mix into Ontario. Can you indentify your source?

This is right off the Ontario Attorney Generals website:


Importing Pit Bulls
It is against the law to bring pit bulls into Ontario, even for a short visit.
There are no exceptions made for:
Tourists
People moving to Ontario, or
Military personnel being transferred to Ontario postings.

[Nvr2loud]

dwright1969 wrote:
I live on the Canadian border. I travel with my dogs there frequently. I bring the shot records. I have never had an issue with them not being in French.

English OR French.... must be in one of those languages.

[Nvr2loud]

michigansandzilla wrote:
I have personally never travelled with a dog to canada, but I know that pit bulls or any mix thereof, is illegal in Ontario. My sis-in-law has a lovely mixed breed with pit bull in it, and she won't go into Ontario with him.

Pit bulls are not banned from being in Ontario. There is a ban on breeding or purchasing a new pit bull (or mix)

Anyone who already has a valid dog tag for a pit bull is permitted to keep that animal until the dog dies. New dog tags will not be issued for pit bulls.

Visitors are permitted to travel with pit bulls into Ontario. Edit: I've been proven wrong about this statement, only under some circumstances are pit bulls permitted to enter Ontario

It is a stupid ban!

[Caveman_Charlie]

rbpru wrote:
My wife and I have a pair of Golden Doodles and will be crossing in at International Falls. We will be dropping the kids off in the Quetico so they can canoe back to Ely. (Oh to be young again).

We will most likely camp overnight in Canada, then re-cross back to the States the next day.

If your young enough to have kids your young enough to canoe back. I wouldn't want to do it with the kids though. They will hate you. lol

[mclaus]

I am going from Miami to Montreal 3-5 times per year by car. In the beginning with 2 big Labs, now with 3 little ones. I never had any problem with anything. I am taking my vaccination certificates for the dogs, as issued by the vet, and that's it. No one ever wanted to see them though. I guess if I would not have them with me....
At the border I get frequently complimented by the border patrols
or they just ask me how many dogs I have, or they ignore them. No problems with pet food either. That's probably crossing the border in both directions 70-80 times.

[rbpru]

My wife and I have a pair of Golden Doodles and will be crossing in at International Falls. We will be dropping the kids off in the Quetico so they can canoe back to Ely. (Oh to be young again).

We will most likely camp overnight in Canada, then re-cross back to the States the next day.