Are you traveling to the US with your dog? Here are the latest rules you need to know

All dogs entering the U.S. from other countries must be at least six months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules released Wednesday. The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been to countries where rabies is common. The update applies to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups, as well as pets traveling with their U.S. owners.

“These new regulations will address the current challenges we face,” said Emily Pieracci, a rabies expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who was involved in drafting the updated regulations. The CDC posted the new rules in the Federal Register on Wednesday. They will go into effect on August 1 when a temporary order for 2021 expires. That order suspended the entry of dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies remains a problem.

The new rules require that all dogs entering the US must be at least six months old, old enough to be vaccinated if necessary and for the vaccinations to take effect; have a microchip placed under the skin with a code that can be used to verify the rabies vaccination; and completed a new CDC import form. Additional restrictions and requirements may apply based on where the dog has been over the past six months, which may include blood work from CDC-approved labs.

The CDC regulations were last updated in 1956 and a lot has changed, Pieracci said. More people are traveling internationally with their pets, and more rescue groups and breeders have set up overseas operations to meet the demand for pets, she said. Now, about 1 million dogs enter the U.S. each year.

Dogs were once common carriers of the rabies virus in the US, but the type that normally circulates in dogs was eliminated by vaccinations in the 1970s. The virus invades the central nervous system and is usually a fatal disease in animals and humans. It is usually spread through a bite from an infected animal. There is no cure once symptoms start.

Four rabid dogs have been identified entering the U.S. since 2015, and officials feared more could get through. CDC officials also saw an increase in incomplete or fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates, and more puppies were denied entry because they were not old enough to be fully vaccinated. A draft version of the updated regulations last year provoked a series of public reactions.

Angela Passman, owner of a Dallas company that helps people move their pets internationally, supports the new rules. It can be especially difficult for families who buy or adopt a dog abroad and then try to bring it to the U.S., she said. The update represents little change from the way cases have been handled in recent years, she said. “It’s more work for the pet owner, but the end result is good,” said Passman, a board member of the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association.

But Jennifer Skiff said some changes are unwarranted and too expensive. She works for Animal Wellness Action, a Washington group that focuses on preventing animal cruelty and helps organizations import animals. She said these groups work with diplomats and military personnel who have difficulty meeting requirements, and this was the reason some owners were forced to abandon their dogs.

This story was published via wire agency without modifications to the text. Only the headline has changed.