Congressman Kennedy proposes bill that will pause new CDC rule for pets crossing US-Canada border

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - New York State Congressman Tim Kennedy introduced the Border-Crossing and Re-Entry for K9's (BARK) Act on Friday.

The Center of Disease Control and Treatment (CDC) rule, which went into effect August 1st, requires dogs to appear in good health, have a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved rabies vaccination, an ISO microchip, a completed CDC dog import form that expires after six months, and be at least six months old.

"The US and Canada have both eradicated dog rabies and posed no public health threat to each other's populations," Kennedy stated. "On top of this, the CDC put forward a new rule without incorporating public feedback, and did not take the necessary steps to ensure that the rule would not negatively impact our ports of entry, like the Peace Bridge.".

Kennedy's bill would eliminate the burden for travelers from low-risk countries and allow dogs younger than six-months old, with no history of being in a high-risk country, to cross the border. It would also only require pet owners to submit a CDC dog import form if the dog was born in, or has visited, a high-risk country within the past six months.

"We heard directly from the leadership of the Canadian government, as well as constituents in the western part of New York State and all across the northern border, that these regulations went too far," stated Kennedy. "They were overly burdensome. They weren't communicated properly."