Manitoba dog lovers unhappy with new U.S. border crossing regulations

Manitoba canine lovers are unhappy about new rules introduced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set to take effect later this summer.
Under the new requirements announced by the CDC, dogs entering the U.S. must be older than six months, have a microchip and must have a form certifying rabies vaccination signed by a veterinarian within 30 days of travel time. The requirements - which go into effect Aug. 1 - would mean Canadian dogs who visit the U.S. on a regular basis will essentially need a new, signed form every month.
Canada is on the list of countries the CDC considers to be "rabies-free or low risk."
"From the U.S. CDC perspective, there's some rationale behind it, specifically, dog rabies is considered eradicated in the U.S. and they like to keep it that way," said Winnipeg veterinarian Philipp Schott. "But even relatively safe countries like Canada are being kind of swept up in these new regulations."
The CDC announced the rules in an effort to prevent and deter the importation of dogs carrying rabies. They also saw a 52 per cent increase in 2020 in the number of dogs that were ineligible for admission into the U.S. due to falsified or fraudulent documentation, according to a summary of the new rules put out by the American Kennel Club.