DULUTH — New federal regulations are set to take effect on Aug. 1 that will impact anyone bringing a dog into the U.S. — even if they are U.S. citizens returning home with their U.S.-based dogs.

The new rules will require that any dog entering or returning to the U.S. be at least 6 months old, certified as vaccinated against rabies, microchipped by a veterinarian and healthy at the time of entry.

But the new rules go far beyond basic vaccination certificates, requiring multiple forms that must be filled out, mostly online, in advance of going abroad.

You’ll even need a current photo of your dog to upload.

The rule applies to Canadians and others entering the U.S. for shopping or leisure, but it also applies to all U.S. citizens who may bring their dogs into Canada or Mexico briefly for a hunting, fishing or leisure trip and then return home.

The new rules are a joint program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are aimed at stemming the movement of rabies into the U.S. While rabies among domestic dogs had been essentially eradicated in the U.S,. the deadly disease is flourishing in many nations and is spreading back to the U.S. as infected and unvaccinated dogs are imported.

The rules — which have not been broadly publicized or reported — appear to require extensive new duties by U.S. veterinarians who will have to complete and submit forms for each of their client’s traveling dogs, either a Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccine form that was endorsed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture before the dog departed the United States or a U.S. Department of Agriculture-endorsed Export Health Certificate. The export certificate must demonstrate the dog is 6 months of age or older and is vaccinated, and list the dog’s microchip number.

David Daigle, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there has been no agency discussion of delaying the rules until more people are made aware of them.

“CDC announced the updates to its dog regulation in May, understanding the effective date of the regulation is Aug. 1, 2024. This nearly three-month gap was purposeful to ensure awareness of the requirements for dog importations,” Daigle told the News Tribune.

Daigle also said there has been no consideration for exempting dogs returning from nations with very low incidences of rabies, such as Mexico and Canada.

Some dog owners who travel across the border frequently have complained that the new regulations are an unnecessary burden for U.S. dog owners when the issue is spurred by dogs from other countries entering the U.S. unvaccinated. Until now, a simple vaccination certificate has been enough to prove that a dog was vaccinated.

Officials from the offices of Minnesota’s U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar said they are looking into the new regulations.

“We have heard from Minnesotans about this,” a statement released from Smith's office noted. “The Senator recognizes that these new regulations are both an inconvenience and causing confusion and concern, especially for Minnesotans who live near the Canadian border. We are closely monitoring feedback from Minnesotans and exploring possible actions to address these issues to mitigate inconveniences for people.”

“Travel between Minnesota and Canada is crucial for our economy and integral in the lives of so many who live close to the border,'' Klobuchar said in a statement to the News Tribune. "I have heard understandable concerns and anger about this new CDC regulation for dogs crossing the border, and I am working with my colleagues to push for a change that works for travelers and keeps people and animals safe."

Officials from the office of U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber did not return a reporter's request for comment on the new rules.

Here are the new requirements for all U.S.-based dogs returning to the U.S. starting Aug. 1:

• Be at least 6 months of age at the time of entry or return to the United States. No younger dogs will be allowed entry.
• Be vaccinated against rabies with proper documentation of vaccination.
• Have an International Organization for Standardization-compatible microchip implanted prior to any required rabies vaccination. The microchip number must be documented on all required forms and in all accompanying veterinary records.
• Appear healthy upon arrival.
• Have a receipt after filling out a CDC Dog Import form. The free form should be completed online 2-10 days before each arrival. But, if you have internet access, it can also be completed right before travel, even in line at the border crossing. If the information on the form changes before the dog arrives, you must submit a new form and indicate you are making changes to an existing form. All information, including the port of entry where the dog is arriving, must be correct at time of arrival.
• This form requires you to upload a clear photograph of the dog showing its face and body. Dogs that will be less than one year of age at time of arrival should have the photograph taken within 10 days before arrival.

Recommended to begin 30 days or more before travel out of the U.S.:

• Contact your accredited veterinarian to have them complete either the Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form or the U.S.Department of Agriculture-endorsed export health certificate if your dog will be only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries such as Canada.
• Have the USDA-accredited veterinarian that administered the rabies vaccine to your dog complete the Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form. Ensure the veterinarian submits this form to the USDA for official endorsement. (Accredited veterinarians can access the form and its instructions at the aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/vehcs. Instructions for veterinarians are available at cdc.gov/importation/pdf/PRA-2-1-Template-Change-TI-for-US-Vaccinated-Dogs_USDA.pdf.)
• Print a copy of the Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form or USDA APHIS-endorsed export health certificate from USDA.
• Arrive at the location listed on the CDC Dog Import Form receipt. This can be any airport, land border crossing or seaport, but you must select this location when you complete the CDC Dog Import form.
• Call your vet to make sure they are accredited, or you can look for accredited vets at vsapps.aphis.usda.gov/vsps/public/VetSearch.do?method=display.
• The CDC Dog Import Form will be accessible beginning July 15. You can find the form at cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/required-forms-for-importing-dog-united-states.html .

Your dog must receive its initial rabies vaccine at least 28 days before leaving the U.S.

U.S. Department of Agriculture-accredited veterinarians should only issue the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form for dogs that received their initial (first) rabies vaccine at least 28 days previously. Booster vaccines are considered valid immediately.

For people who cross the border often with their dog, Daigle said the Certification of U.S.-issued Rabies Vaccination form is valid for the length of the rabies vaccine, usually 1 or 3 years. But the entry point and date-specific CDC Dog Import Form must be filled out online for every trip.

The complete list of new dog import regulations can be found at cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs-entering-us-after-august-1.html#current-vaccination.

Here’s a quick summary of what you will need to do starting Aug. 1:

• Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies, microchipped and at least 6 months old.
• Your veterinarian must submit a form with the rabies certificate and microchip number to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This form is endorsed by the agency and sent back to the vet. The dog owner must carry a copy of the endorsed form. It’s good for the life of the vaccine, usually three years.
• Each time you plan to enter a foreign county and then return home you must first fill out an online form for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the dog's microchip number, vaccine information, date and location of re-entry to the U.S and a recent photo of the dog.

Rabies is a rare but serious public health concern in the United States. Before 1960, several hundred people died of rabies each year, mostly from domestic dog bites. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of human and animal health experts, fewer than 10 human deaths are now reported each year in the U.S. and nearly all of those are from wild animal bites.

In the U.S., around 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported each year, with more than 90% occurring in wildlife like bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes.

The decrease in human deaths from rabies is attributed to successful vaccination of pets and animal control programs, public health tracking and testing of human and animal rabies cases and the use of rabies-related medical care, called post-exposure prophylaxis.

Even though rabies is well-controlled in the U.S., over 4 million Americans report animal bites each year with 800,000 of those seeking medical attention. Public health programs can assess each person who may have been exposed to rabies to determine if they need rabies-related medical care, including the post-bite vaccine.

Some people still die from rabies, usually because they didn't get medical help soon enough after being scratched or bitten. It's important to be aware of the risk, especially with bat bites, which can be easy to ignore because they don't always leave an obvious mark.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention