Calgary dog owners concerned over new U.S. border rules taking effect Aug. 1

Calgary dog owners are expressing concern over new U.S. border rules that could prevent them from taking their furry friends over the American border in just a couple of weeks.

New rules recently announced by the American Centers for Disease Control (CDC) go into effect on Aug. 1.

They require any dog entering the U.S. from Canada to be at least six months old, equipped with a compliant microchip and have CDC import forms.

Other requirements include a Canadian export document that must be issued and signed by a Canadian licensed veterinarian with vaccination and microchip information and documents to show where the dog was vaccinated against rabies or where it's been before entering the U.S.

"This update keeps Americans and their pets safe and will address recent challenges seen with international dog importations, including the challenges posed by fraudulent documentation and dogs housed in unsafe conditions," said Dave Daigle, CDC spokesperson.

Gail Forsythe, a Calgary lawyer and accomplished dog breeder, says many people in the dog show community are reeling.

"Just in terms of the cost and uncertainty as to what regulations really involve and the short-term value of going through all the paperwork and the stress and inconvenience," she said.

"This affects not only dog exhibitors but also tourists who want to come to Canada or people who have family here and prefer to travel with their pets as opposed to leaving their pet at home.

"I've personally given up and will stay at home until this is all sorted out."

Meanwhile, there's also plenty of confusion.

Part of the CDC import form originally required a section to be filled out by the dog's veterinarian and endorsed by an "official government veterinarian in the exporting country."

The Canadian Food and Inspection Agency (CFIA), which would be the government agency to approve the CDC form, has said it's unable to offer the sign-off.

On Tuesday, federal Health Minister Mark Holland said that requirement will be removed but a veterinarian in Canada will still have to certify the dog has been vaccinated for rabies.

Alberta Kennel Club is losing entrants

There is further concern over American dog owners potentially choosing not to compete in Canada.

Getting to Canada might not be an issue but once they compete in a show, they may have difficulty entering the United States when returning home.

Tina Gaudet, facilities chairperson with the Alberta Kennel Club, says her team has lost many U.S. competitors for its show set for Aug. 2 to 5 at the Okotoks Agricultural Society.

"This 100 per cent affects our revenue because we are a not-for-profit society and we have our entries that people pay to compete obviously, and so losing that income does hurt the bottom line," Gaudet said.

"With the regulations, things make it a little bit more difficult. So our recommendation is to go to the CDC website and do the launch. Launch the dog box that they have on there because it tells you exactly the requirements."

Guidance dog group expresses worry

The new rules would prevent dogs under the age of six months old from entering the United States.

That change was particularly worrisome for William Thornton, CEO of B.C. and Alberta Guide Dogs.

He says more than 2,000 Canadians require a guide dog but this could create breeding issues and potentially lower the quality of care.

"It will possibly impact our own industry, where many of us have our own scientific breeding programs with good genetics and we maintain these levels by sharing genetics between organizations in North America," he said.

"Sometimes, that means we're shipping things like frozen semen but sometimes, we're also perhaps exchanging a couple of puppies from a litter and you don't want puppies hanging around for six months, not really doing very much because that doesn't help them in their future life of socialization and stuff. So that is a bit of a challenge."

Thornton says the mobility of a person living with disabilities should not be hindered and he hopes exemptions are made for those requiring a guidance dog.

"There has been some alarm and despondency because the concern is that this may limit the ability for persons with a guide dog or a service dog to have sort of spontaneity of movement across the border between Canada and the United States," he said.

"We've also written to CDC to see what we can do to get some sort of exemptions or a clear understanding of the encumbrances that are potentially going to be put on persons with disabilities who use guidance service dogs."

Canadian Health Minister concerned

Despite securing some concessions on the new rules, Holland says he's still concerned about further changes.

"This has resulted in changes to the guidelines for Canadians, but the Government of Canada remains concerned by the potential negative impacts these new regulations will have on both Canadians and Americans," he said.

"Canada is free of the dog-maintained rabies virus variant (DMRVV), also known as dog rabies, and shares the same rabies-free status as the United States. These new CDC regulations will impact all dogs entering the U.S. from Canada and will require Canadians to take on additional planning and costs to satisfy the new requirements."

Holland says the regulations will also impact Americans returning with their dogs to the U.S. after visiting Canada.

"Tourism in the U.S. and in Canada will be impacted as travellers are forced to pay extra costs to travel to the U.S. with their dogs and navigate overwhelming administrative processes," he said.

"Additionally, some airlines are unclear on how they could implement these new regulations.

"Transportation sectors such as trucking will face challenges that will affect both American and Canadian supply chains. Canada and the U.S. trade billions of dollars in goods and services every year. At a time when cost of living and economic growth are top of mind for our citizens, implementing these new CDC measures could strain these critical supply chains."

Holland also says there are positive indications for a grace period of a couple of months that could be approved but that has yet to be confirmed.