CDC will soon have new requirements for dogs to travel internationally

PUERTO PENASCO, MX (AZFamily) — The CDC is implementing new rules allowing dogs to enter the United States legally.

The dog has to have a microchip, and they have to be at least 6 months old.

It’ll impact people who vacation with their pups and a well-known dog rescue in Rocky Point called Barb’s Dog Rescue.

Most of the dogs they rescue come in malnourished.

Currently, the rescue says they have more than 400 dogs waiting to be adopted, mostly by Americans.

With the age requirement now going up, the owner says it will slow down her operation.

“What I do want everybody to know is that we can’t stop and we won’t stop. We have 450 dogs right now at the rescue, 300 of those dogs are ready to go vaccinated, spayed, neutered, ready to travel,” said Gina Benner, the CEO of Barb’s Dog Rescue.

The goal of the CDC’s new guidelines is to keep pets safe from rabies, which, according to the CDC, was eliminated in the U.S. in 2007.

But, data shows dog rabies is not controlled in more than 100 other countries.

“It seems clear that anybody who has a 6-month-old or younger dog is not going to be able to bring that dog out of Mexico into the U.S.,” Benner said.

Benner says each day people travel to Mexico to adopt dogs or rescue one while on vacation.

CDC guidelines say to enter the U.S., your dog must:

• Look healthy upon arrival
• Be at least 6 months old
• Be microchipped
• Be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form

The new changes take effect on Aug. 1.

“I don’t know if they’re going to pull this off on Aug. 1. There’s going to be such an outrage and outcry from people who travel back and forth, especially to places like Rocky Point with their dogs,” she said.

Benner says these changes will negatively impact the way she can operate her rescue along with other businesses like hers.

“Oftentimes, people want to adopt puppies, and 6 months is really going to hurt us. So the question becomes, ‘how do they enforce that six months rule?’” Benner said.

Right now, Benner says many of her customers adopt as soon as the puppies hit 4 months old, which is the current travel requirement.

To see if your dog can travel, click/tap here.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.