Canada is a surprising nation with lots of distinctive cities, landscapes, and actions for vacationers. If you’re on the lookout for the proper vacation spot to go to in the summertime (or winter!), the Great White North has it. I’m not simply saying that as a result of I’ve lived right here for 37 years, both!
Whether you’re heading to Canada for an exquisite getaway or scoping out the nation for someplace to maneuver, there are some issues it’s good to know, particularly when you plan on bringing your canine together with you.
Read on to seek out our tips about safely (and legally) journey to Canada along with your pup.
The 7 Tips for Traveling to Canada with Your Dog
1. Chat with Your Veterinary Team
Before you embark in your journey to Canada, you’ll need to ensure your pup is wholesome sufficient to journey.
Schedule your appointment inside 30 days of journey to debate your pet’s well being and guarantee you’ve gotten all the suitable paperwork able to go (see level 2).
2. Get Your Paperwork Together
Canada has completely different entrance necessities based mostly on the age of your pup and your private home nation.
Owners from the United States or Mexico touring with canine older than 3 months will need to have a legitimate rabies vaccination certificates signed by their veterinarian. This certificates ought to describe your pet, present proof of vaccination, and embody documentation of the product title, lot expiration date, and lot quantity.
Puppies youthful than 3 months who journey to Canada with their people will want a certificates of well being from their vets indicating that they’re too younger to obtain the rabies vaccination. Owners touring from rabies-free international locations (e.g., Australia, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and so on.) with their 8-month or older pups can both present proof of legitimate rabies vaccination or a legitimate Rabies Country-Freedom Certificate.
You would require these certificates when bringing your pet again into the United States or Mexico from Canada. Ensure your pup’s vaccination doesn’t expire whilst you’re on trip.
Note: Service canine are exempt from these guidelines as long as the particular person to whom the canine is assigned can also be touring and has correct documentation of their canine’s certification.
3. Brush Up on Airline Requirements
If you’re touring to Canada by way of air, know that each airline has its personal set of insurance policies and necessities for pet transportation.
Some airways enable small canine to journey alongside their people within the cabin, whereas bigger pups should be transported within the pressurized cargo maintain. Like the border, some airways would require well being certificates issued inside ten days of departure.
Contact the airline(s) you’ll be flying with to find out what necessities you have to meet earlier than touring along with your canine. Be positive to take a look at the airline’s provider pointers to make sure yours meets the scale and air flow necessities.
4. Understand Pet Food Rules
Travelers coming into Canada with pet meals are topic to some guidelines.1 They can solely convey as much as 20 kilograms of meals so long as the import meets the next necessities:
- The meals should originate from the United States and be commercially packaged.
- The meals should be within the possession of the traveler on the time of entry into Canada.
- The canine who’s consuming the imported meals should even be with the traveler on the time of entry.
- The imported meals is fed solely to the animal who’s touring into the nation.
5. Understand Breed Restrictions
The Canadian province of Ontario handed laws in 2005 banning pit bull-like canine, together with:2
However, the legislation additionally restricts canine which have bodily traits “considerably related” to the above-identified breeds.
6. Plan, Plan, Plan
While spontaneity is half the enjoyable of highway journeys and holidays, impulsivity doesn’t work when touring along with your pet.
Travel Arrangements
If you’re touring by automotive, establish pet-friendly relaxation stops alongside the best way. Make positive you’ve packed the essentials to maintain you and your pup blissful, akin to meals, water, poop waste baggage, treats, and toys. If you’re touring by air, familiarize your self with pet reduction space areas, particularly when you have layovers.
The similar applies to any ferry journey—for instance, B.C. Ferries have onboard pet areas to assist your pup really feel snug and at dwelling. These areas are geared up with trash cans, seating, waste baggage, and a water bowl. Some pet areas on choose ferries even have kennels and heating. Several of B.C. Ferries’ vessels even have expanded pet areas with designated higher areas on the passenger deck.
Accommodations
Not all inns are pet-friendly, so pre-book your inns as quickly as attainable. Double-check the pet guidelines and restrictions of your lodging. Some inns have restrictions on the scale and variety of pets you’re allowed to convey with you. Do not attempt to sneak your canine into any lodging, as you could be compelled to depart and charged a monetary penalty.
If you like to tough it, canine are welcome at most Parks Canada campgrounds. However, guidelines are all the time in place to maintain them and different campers secure.
Activities
While Canada is pretty dog-friendly, not all actions you could be planning on doing in your trip will probably be dog-friendly.
Niagara Falls, Canada’s primary vacationer vacation spot, is fairly pup-friendly. Dogs are allowed in all public areas and on sidewalks and the Niagara Parkway so long as they’re well-behaved and picked up after. However, most points of interest (e.g., Niagara City Cruises) don’t enable pet canine, although they are going to make exceptions for service animals.
Banff, a jewel of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, welcomes over 4 million guests yearly, and it’s one of the dog-friendly trip spots in Canada. Take your pup together with you on one of many many hikes within the park, hire a canoe or kayak and permit Fido to tag alongside, and take a look at one of many many pet-friendly patios within the space to eat after a protracted day of adventuring.
When planning your trip, make a shortlist of the points of interest you’d love to do whereas within the space. Visit the web sites for these actions to find out that are and aren’t dog-friendly. You can then assess whether or not you are feeling snug leaving Fido on the lodge whilst you exit adventuring with out them.
7. Prepare In Case of Separation
If, heaven forbid, your pup was to get separated from you throughout your trip, do you’ve gotten preparations in place to make sure a well timed reunion? Your pup ought to have identification tags on them always, and the knowledge on their tag ought to have your up to date contact info.
For added safety, all canine who journey must also be microchipped. Never go away dwelling and not using a copy of the microchip quantity in your particular person for reference. If your canine does get misplaced, contact the town’s native animal management officer. Provide them with their microchip quantity so that you might be contacted immediately when your pup is situated.
Final Thoughts
Advance planning is crucial to making any trip successful and enjoyable, but it surely’s important when touring along with your canine members of the family. Knowing what is anticipated of you on the border crossing once you drive or by way of customs once you fly won’t solely ease some nervousness you’ve gotten about touring along with your pet but additionally stop any surprises from ruining your journey.
Canada is a very lovely nation, and also you, your loved ones, and Fido can have an unimaginable time visiting!
Featured Image Credit: FedBul, Shutterstock