New border rules for dogs were triggered by spike in fraud, forgery cases: U.S. document

A controversial American government decision to impose new requirements on dogs entering the U.S. was prompted by a «dramatic increase» in falsified documents and fraud — including cases of people using Canada to bring dogs from countries with high rates of rabies into the U.S.

A lengthy notice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — obtained by CBC News — sheds new light on a decision that took the Canadian government, Canadian veterinarians, dog owners and federal Health Minister Mark Holland by surprise in May.

The notice also raises questions about whether Canadian officials are doing enough to prevent dogs from countries where rabies is rampant from entering Canada.

Dr. Tim Arthur, president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, said the problems the U.S. is trying to address with new rules could also affect Canada.

«I think it would be very helpful for Canada to tighten up our border about dogs coming in from countries that have canine variant rabies,» he said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it introduced new measures in 2022 to prohibit the commercial importation of dogs from countries with high levels of rabies into Canada. It says it «continues to explore options to further strengthen Canada's import requirements for dogs.»

The controversy centres on new requirements that went into effect on Aug. 1 for anyone bringing their dogs with them to the U.S., and for Americans returning to the U.S. with their dogs.

Following negotiations between Canada and the U.S. and a trip by Holland to Washington, the U.S. agreed to a nine-month grace period for countries like Canada with low rates of rabies. Dogs covered by the grace period