Posted by LittleCrow on May 29, 1997:
What are the laws regarding taking a pet dog into Mexico? Must they be quarantined as in other countries?
Posted by Ernie Gorrie on May 30, 1997:
While you have already read that the legalities are pretty easy, there are other considerations. We were thinking of taking out two cats down for a couple of months, but friends in Mexico asked us to consider a few things.
First, the climate changes can affect animals more than humans. Especially difficult for some animals can be the temperature change if going in winter and the humidity changes if going in the summer.
Second, the presence of different prey or preditors can be significant (although perhaps more so for cats than dogs). Animals that may be accustomed to chasing shrews may make the mistake of chasing a scorpion or poisonous snake. Similary, some animals might not know what predators to fear.
Third, visitors who bring pets to parts of Mexico may want to brush up on cultural differences. In some parts of the country, an animal is an animal and if it isn’t doing something useful, has no value. Dogs who don’t work are pests. Cats? What cat works? 🙂
So some appreciation for establishing mutually comfortable accommodations for cultural differences should be planned.
Posted by jennifer j. rose on May 29, 1997:
Our Dobermans have travelled back and forth many times. While we’ve been turned down by many a chain hotel, we’ve managed to figure out which ones will take dogs and which won’t. Often en route this has meant staying in some genuine fleabags, but the dogs never have complained…in fact, they’ve said that they actually preferred these to those swank five-star joints.
All that’s needed to bring your dog or cat into Mexico is a U.S. Interstate and International Certificate of Health granted within the past 72 hours, stating that the animal has no communicable diseases. Any veterinarian should be able to provide this for you. To err on the safe side, a current rabies certificate wouldn’t hurt.
No permit or visa is needed. No quarantine.
To bring a pet back into the United States, you’ll need another health certificate and a rabies certificate not more than thirty days’ old.
In 20 years of chauffeuring pets back and forth at least thrice annually, I’ve never been asked for documentation on either side of the border. (I still would urge you to arm yourself with paperwork….the one time you decide to wing it, someone may ask you to produce.)
Posted by Betsy on May 29, 1997:
Hi there! There is no problem taking a dog to Mexico. Just be sure it has it’s rabies vaccination certificate, and a vets report. If you fly in, the airport agricultural person might not be there when the flight arrives, and make you have to wait for hours. If you drive in, and have the abovementioned doc’s, you are home free. I have 4 Mexican dogs here in the US, and they are soon going home. We use pet-taxis and load up our Ford van. It is not the first time we do this. I guess that from all practical points of view, I have 4 illegal alien dogs in the US.
Good luck, and your dog will love Mexico.
Betsy
