Health Minister Mark Holland says he has secured concessions on the new rules being imposed by the United States on dog owners bringing their pets across the border, but he’s “concerned” about the forthcoming changes.  

“I am quite concerned, if I’m honest, about the regulations that are being brought in by the United States, as of August 1, requiring a number of new measures for folks bringing their dogs across the border,” he said in Ottawa Wednesday.

Holland said the new rules introduced by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are going to affect not only Canadians but also Americans who travel to Canada with their pets and have to face the new rules when they go back home. 

“I think that was a very poorly thought-out bit of business and it’s going to have a huge impact for Americans,” he said. 

The health minister said rules requiring that dogs be microchipped with a specific type of chip have been relaxed, so any type of microchip will now be accepted.

The requirement that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) veterinarians verify vaccine certificates for dogs has also been removed. A veterinarian in Canada will still have to certify that the dog has been vaccinated for rabies.

Holland said the U.S. will introduce a specific form for Canada that will allow a dog to enter and re-enter the U.S. for as long as their rabies vaccination is valid.

• What questions do you have about the new entry requirements for dogs travelling from Canada to the U.S.? Ask us in an email to ask@cbc.ca. 

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association president Tim Arthur told CBC news the concessions will ease the burden on overworked vets across the country.

“Compared to where we were yesterday, the workload has decreased. There is still going to be an extra workload,” he said. 

“My profession is already kind of up to the gunnels as far as the amount of work we’ve got to do, so how are we going to do this, is the question.”

Arthur said veterinarians will be able to take on that work but warns pet owners to plan ahead. He said those showing up at a veterinarian’s office for updated vaccine documents three days before travelling could be out of luck. 

Hoping for a grace period

Holland also said he has had “very positive indications” that a request for a grace period of a couple of months may be approved, but that has yet to be confirmed.

“We made good progress. This significantly improves the situation but it’s not enough,” Holland said of the concessions he has secured. 

Asked if he plans to impose similar rules for Americans, Holland said he is going to focus on securing a grace period and, if possible, an exemption for Canada.

“Both countries have done a wonderful job of keeping rabies out of our country and making sure that our dogs are safe, so I believe saner heads are going to prevail here,” he said.

“This was a policy decision. I don’t think that it was thought through very well.”

Barbara Barrett, executive director of the Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA) — which represents 32 land border duty-free stores in Canada — has raised concerns about the impact of the revised rules on tourism and cross-border traffic. 

“The negative impacts of these new regulations are far-reaching and will affect travellers and businesses on both sides of the border. We support the minister in pushing for a full exemption for Canada,” she said in a media statement. 

Photo ID for dogs will be required

Holland said that every time a dog is transported across the border, owners will have to fill out a CDC form and attach a photo of the dog so border officers can compare the image to the dog seeking entry to the United States. 

“Frankly, I just don’t think this is a good use of border officers’ time,” Holland said. “There’s a lot of issues at the border. 

“Whether or not my Maltese is another Maltese and having a border officer figure that out, I’ve said to [U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra], doesn’t make sense to me.”

Holland said he understands the U.S. wants to remain a rabies-free country but these new rules should not be imposed on Canada, which is also a rabies-free country.

“We believe it makes sense to have a policy that protects our hemisphere, rather than having individual policies for two different countries,” he said.