Can-Am dog race ‘rejoicing’ after CDC rule change

FORT KENT, Maine — The future of the Can-Am races in Fort Kent is bright after the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention simplified controversial new rules for international travel with dogs.

“There is rejoicing from here and New Brunswick, all the way to the North Slope of Alaska,” Can-Am Vice President Sarah Brooks said.

The new rules will go into effect on Aug. 1. They were written to prevent the spread of rabies; however, the CDC changed the rules after it faced significant pushback due to the burden they placed on people who frequently travel between low-risk countries, including mushers participating in events like the Can-Am and tourists traveling with their dogs.

Can-Am Vice President Sarah Brooks said one of the major changes made by the CDC was a simplification of the forms required. Under the originally presented rules, travelers with dogs needed a form signed by the veterinarian who microchipped and administered a rabies shot to the animal, as well as a USDA veterinarian.

“That paperwork required two signatures,” Brooks said. “The problem with that is that vets are so short handed, and you’ve got to book out months ahead to even get to them.”

Under the new rules, travelers can fill out a dog import form online on the day of travel and show the receipt to a border official.

Brooks said the old form had to be filled out two to 10 days prior to crossing the border, and that, at one point, it had to be redone every 30 days. Under the revised rules, the form is now good for six months.

As originally presented, the rules would have prevented many from participating in the Can-Am due to the prohibitive extra costs of roughly $150 to $300 per dog. For someone with a full team of dogs, it could have resulted in thousands of dollars in unanticipated costs.

Brooks and 2023 Can-Am champion Katherine Langlais have spoken out against these rules since they were first announced. Brooks said these changes will help ensure the race can go on, but she said there is still work to be done.

“This is only going to be in effect until April 2025,” Brooks said. “Hopefully there will be enough input that’s going to go into the CDC that they won’t reinstate some of these requirements.”

After the original rules were released, 14 U.S. Senators urged the CDC to stop them due to the unintended effects it could have on major dog-racing events, tourism, and truckers who travel with dogs.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden from Maine’s 2nd District on Monday also introduced a bipartisan amendment to block federal funding from being used to enforce CDC rules for dog importation.

Brooks collected more than 200 letters with anecdotes from people who will be personally affected by the rules and sent them to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

With officials taking action against these rules and the CDC responding, Brooks said it feels as though their hard work has paid off.

“It’s like Washington, D.C., has heard us,” she said. “And it’s heard the voices of people all over North America — Canada and the United States — because this was going to be so disastrous.”