Petition Update: America's Dog Import Restrictions Loosened - but it's Not Enough

The ban, which came into effect last year, saw dogs from more than 100 countries prohibited from being brought into the U.S. amid rabies concerns, affecting service members, expats, and rescue organizations.

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Restrictions on the importation of dogs to the United States from countries classified as “high-risk” for rabies have been loosed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the ban has also been extended until at least January 2023.

The ban, which came into effect in July 2021, saw dogs from more than 100 countries prohibited from being brought into the U.S. amid rabies concerns, with limited exceptions for service dogs and foreigners moving stateside with their pets. Countries included Russia, Ukraine, China, India, Brazil, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia. 

At the time, officials said the restrictions were needed to stop the deadly virus from re-entering the U.S. where it has been eradicated since 2007, but the move received opposition from service members, diplomats, and everyday American citizens faced with the decision to leave their dogs behind upon returning to the U.S.

After widespread outrage, the CDC adjusted the ban just 6 weeks after its implementation to permit dogs to fly with their human companions into the country as long they have had their vaccinations from a U.S.-licensed veterinarian, are healthy, microchipped, at least six months old, and have a valid certificate of rabies vaccination given by the U.S. However, the policy update failed to help people who were bringing dogs into the country for the first time. This included service members who had adopted a dog during tours of duty abroad. 

The ban also had devastating consequences for international animal rescue organizations, working to save dogs from the meat trade and the streets. These groups often send healthy, fully vaccinated dogs to the U.S. for adoption and rely on these fees to support their work to rescue new dogs, but due to the ban, this was halted, impacting tens of thousands of canines.

Credit: Soi Dog Foundation

Now, these latest policy changes allow foreign-vaccinated dogs to enter the U.S. from high-risk countries if they meet certain criteria. But, the list of requirements for foreign-vaccinated dogs still includes a rabies serologic titer test from one of the very short list of CDC-approved laboratories which are predominantly found in European countries not considered to be “high-risk” for rabies.

“This ban continues to put an incredible and unfair burden on pet owners who live, work and travel in countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well as rescue organizations who work tirelessly to save dogs from the meat trade and give them new lives in America,” said Santina Polky, Head of Campaigns at Species Unite. “The ban is also hurting refugees from nations like Ukraine who should not have to deal with the stress of potentially losing their pets to seek asylum in the United States.” 

Although some progress has been made, we must continue to put pressure on the CDC to end this cruel and unjustifiable ban once and for all. Please add your name to the Species Unite petition to stand up to the dog haters at the CDC and protect man’s best friend.

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