Taking dog thru Canada and into Alaska

[stujan]

We always travel with our lab/golden mix Roxy. Can we take her into Canada and Alaska if we have her shot records is there anything else we need to take with us?
Thanks, she will not let us leave her home for that long if she sees us loading up the trailer
Stuart

[Bill M.]

My wife took care of it. We carried papers to prove the shots were updated and that the dod had a health check. No problems.

[LilBigfoot]

Rabies is a big concern here in Canada. Have the up to date shots for that.

[McDave]

I found Canadians to be very dog friendly. I went one step beyond shot records and got a "health certificate," from my vet, as that seemed to be required. Nobody asked to see it. Always a good idea to have your dog microchipped so you can prove it's yours, should it ever come down to that. Check what you're allowed to take with you into Canada. We had pepper spray and raw chicken confiscated from us at the border. Not a big deal, but irking.

[PKI]

The Canadian internet site has the info. You need the shot records and they need to be signed by a vet. A health cert was what we thought we needed, but in checking the Canadian information, a full cert was not required.

The only problem we had was coming back into the states. They want you to put the dog in a kennel while they interview you and they check your rig. We were able to hold our two pups since they are small and not aggressive. Work with the customs folks and they will work with you.

And just one thought. Just because it was that way then, it may be different when you go or when you come back. Be flexible. Pat

https://travel.gc.ca/returning/custo...-pet-to-canada

If you have special pet food, it may pay to have an unopened package that will last the period you will be in Canada.

[streamintrip]

These posts by others are correct, in our experiences. Every time we've come back, it seems that US Customs are much more inquisitive. When returning from SK a couple of years ago, US customs wanted to know WHERE we bought our dogs' dry food. Oddly enough we had bought a small bag in WA a couple of weeks earlier and still had both the bag AND the receipt! I'm not sure what they would have done otherwise, and I sure wasn't prepared to ASK!

[Oregon Ms]

My dog and I just went in and out of Canada last week. No problema. They seemed more concerned about where my husband was than the dog. Maybe they thought I was stealing the rig.

[InterBlog]

It's a good idea to have the dog on Bravecto if you go to eastern Canada, especially western Nova Scotia. If you look at the regional maps for canine lyme risk, they don't show unusual activity there, but there are pockets in NS where the human and the canine risk may be greater than average (I'm speaking from personal experience).

Here's a general news story from last year.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...over-1.3607924

[Steamy1]

And make sure that the date of vaccination on the certificate is dated at least 30 days from the date of the planned border crossing. If less than 30 days, they may not let the dog in. My experience on this issue is crossing from Canada to the US. We were at 29 days and there was a debate about letting us cross. A supervisor was called in and let us pass.

[sallye]

Originally Posted by McDave

We had pepper spray and raw chicken confiscated from us at the border. Not a big deal, but irking.

Raw chicken is a problem? So if I have frozen raw chicken in the freezer for us (my dog is allergic to chicken) will they take it? What about other meat / food?

[cbrittan]

All you will ever need to take your dog from the US to Canada (Mexico too if you wish) and back, is a simple "INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE" which is acceptable to almost every country in the world as long as signed by your Vet within the most recent week or so.

Ask your Vet for the International Health Certificate which certifies your pet dog or cat, has had Rabies shots as required, is free of disease and is healthy.

We are often asked specially entering the US if we have such a Certificate, and as we say yes, the Customs officer typically says OK. No need to see it! We have never been asked about the origin of our dog food.

Most often, they look at our dog, and say nothing else.

[Nurvet]

Just make sure you have a current paper copy of the rabies certificate. Border patrol can randomly ask for proof of current rabies vaccine, and a metal tag on a collar does not count.

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by jrolls

These posts by others are correct, in our experiences. Every time we've come back, it seems that US Customs are much more inquisitive. When returning from SK a couple of years ago, US customs wanted to know WHERE we bought our dogs' dry food. Oddly enough we had bought a small bag in WA a couple of weeks earlier and still had both the bag AND the receipt! I'm not sure what they would have done otherwise, and I sure wasn't prepared to ASK!

There are more restrictions on what you can take from Canada into the USA than from the USA into Canada. Dog food could contain restricted food ingredients, so you need to have the package with ingredient list. Friends of ours had dog food confiscated when entering the USA a few years ago because it was not in the original package.

[LilBigfoot]

We had the same problem as above. Going into the US when Mad Cow Disease was a problem, we had an $90.00 bag of dog food made in Canada...label on the bag. Officer saw that and the content of some meat product....lose the bag or go home. We gave up the bag of food and now have a work around.

[jimstream]

Have had no trouble taking dogs (boxers, and Chesapeake Bay Retreiver) across the Canadian border, but don't try to take an African Gray Parrot. Although we had taken our parrot (we have had her since fledgling 25 years ago) across the border with no trouble before last fall we were cited and fined $550. Due to some arcane treaty we never heard about before. Bummer!

[Wayne&Sam]

We've done it a lot too. We always have the vaccination records but have never been asked for them by Canada or the US (even when we bought a dog in Canada and brought it home to the US). We have been asked for proof of rabies at campgrounds in the US.

[Seabloom]

Almost a waste to weigh in, but I will the same.

We live in BC and travel to WA State to Ski almost every weekend. We have been doing so with three different dogs for almost 4 years now.

We have never once been asked for any certificate. although we know that the one most important document is the signed veterinarian certificate confirming a valid rabies vaccination.

In particular when heading southbound food and the packaging is a big deal. Lamb in the food is a no-no.

Our best resource when heading south has always been the Sumas Border Crossing in Washington State. If you call and ask for the agricultural officer they will tell you the exact and current rules - which can change.

Good luck, you planning will make you trip more enjoyable.

[greenflag]

We made the trip to Alaska thru Canada with our three dogs. I took them to the vet and obtained health certificates.
We put all their records together in a nice folder with a picture of each animal.
We spent 700 dollars preparing them for the journey. Never got asked to produce them once. Be properly prepared though because you may be asked at any time for them.
Canada is very pet friendly. Enjoy your trip.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by Seabloom

Almost a waste to weigh in, but I will the same.
In particular when heading southbound food and the packaging is a big deal. Lamb in the food is a no-no.

I feed lamb based food yet have never been questioned about it- although I do carry it in the original packaging, which would show the source.

[WestieHouse]

We spent a few months in Canada in 2015 traveling from Washington State to Newfoundland with our Westie. We had up to date vaccination records signed by our vet. Most vets (in the north at least) know the requirements and can advise you regarding proper flea and tick control. We took extra precautions as others noted above, including Bravecto and a flea collar.

We did keep food in the original package and had heard lamb products might be a problem. Check the rules for other prohibited food items depending on your travel. Potatoes were not allowed on the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. That was the most intensive search we encountered and the actually checked our refrigerator.

Mace and other personal protection sprays against humans are definitely not allowed into Canada. But if you check the website for prohibited items, you will see that Bear Spray IS allowed.

See this official memo for details.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...-13-2-eng.html

Safe travels for you and your best friend!