TRAVELING WITH DOGS, no with pit bulls

kcalbat · 03-18-2007, 07:21 PM

i did not know where to ask this but...

my boyfriend and I plan on going to Mexico in three months to visit his family. I have never been. We will be driving instead of flying.

I do not want to board my dogs. i plan to take them with me. However, my boyfriend tells we may have alot of problems trying to get across and back into the US. I understand i need to have vet health cert. and paperwork on vaccinations I can do that no problem. I dont mind paying a fee to bring over my two....BUT he seems to think because we have pit bulls we may have problems. He says that alot of border patrol are, how we say,...a** holes and may think we are involved in dogs fighting or drug smuggling.

does anyone have any experience, knowledge, or advise? HELP!

LilacDragon · 03-18-2007, 07:38 PM

You may well have problems crossing the border. I know that I was reading recently (I can't remember where I read it or where it was, sorry) that in some city driving through with a pit bull in your car can get you ticketed, and your dog impounded and put to sleep. Like I said - I can't remember where I read it or where the city was/is.

If I were you, I would make some phone calls and find out what the laws are at the border for crossing with dogs. And if you do take them - make sure you have ALL of their paperwork handy. I mean - copies of medical records and everything, just in case you need to prove that you have had the dogs for quite some time and they are not used for fighting.

***Rivsky*** · 03-18-2007, 07:42 PM

Sounds like another case of responsible owners paying for the stupidity of a few

As mentioned above I'd be making phone calls to customs to find out exactly what sort of paper work will enable you to get your dogs back into the US and document all your discussions with details of the name of the person you spoke to just to make sure you cover yourself as much as possible. I'd also ring a couple of times because often different people will tell you different things so I personally wouldn't feel comfortable getting the info from just one person in the organisation.

kcalbat · 03-18-2007, 08:09 PM

do you think it may be easier to leave them here? I really dont want to though. I dont trust anyone at home nor do i trust boarding facilities. (a coworker of mine had her two dogs at one for a week and came back to severly ill and sick dogs. Her 8 month old Great Dane weighed like 38lbs and got a bacterial infection on her skin that scarred her and ruined her show career)

I also really want to take them because we are visiting someone who has a enormous ranch and i think my two would just LOVE it. They need vacations too! haha!

But i still have time to research. I will take your advice and call as many people as possible. I searched for breed bans or BSL in Mexico and there is none.

any more advice would be wonderful. Any pittie owners out there who have traveled?

TinyAlbinoDancer · 03-18-2007, 10:05 PM

I think I would be too nervous to take my dogs, of any breed, out of the country to somewhere like Mexico. The possibility of authorities not letting them in (when you've driven so far) or out (terrifying thought!) is too much for me. I would find a pet-sitter that is familiar with bully breeds (might search some pittie forums).

mrsgrubby · 03-19-2007, 08:18 AM

When I went overseas for 3 weeks I hired a really great lady to stay at my house with my girls.

She worked with my husband and just rented a room from somone, so she was thrilled to have an entire house for 3 weeks. We paid her like $200-$300 to stay at our house.

It worked out great, as we have a fenced yard, so the dogs got to play outside, sleep in their normal beds, and their routine was pretty similar to when we are home

keekers · 03-19-2007, 10:32 AM

how long will you be in mexico? if its less than a month i would leave the dogs home.i think customs would be a real pain. and in mexico dogs arnt treated the same way as we treat them. meaning they are like our children. its a different world (not a bad or anything- just different). maybe do a google search on us customs border crossing or something. sometimes you even have to quarantine the dogs too when going to different places. that would suck if you got there & found out they had to be quaratined.. good luck..

Vicki · 03-25-2007, 07:49 AM

Where abouts are you in TX? I might be able to recommend some fantastic boarding kennels!

theGOOCH · 03-26-2007, 06:12 AM

There is no way in h@ll I'd take my dog across the border. Too many bad possibilities I can think of trying to deal with border patrol in and out.

03-18-2007, 07:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
kcalbat kcalbat Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: TX Posts: 243 Rep Power: 59	TRAVELING WITH DOGS, no with pit bulls i did not know where to ask this but... my boyfriend and I plan on going to Mexico in three months to visit his family. I have never been. We will be driving instead of flying. I do not want to board my dogs. i plan to take them with me. However, my boyfriend tells we may have alot of problems trying to get across and back into the US. I understand i need to have vet health cert. and paperwork on vaccinations I can do that no problem. I dont mind paying a fee to bring over my two....BUT he seems to think because we have pit bulls we may have problems. He says that alot of border patrol are, how we say,...a** holes and may think we are involved in dogs fighting or drug smuggling. does anyone have any experience, knowledge, or advise? HELP!

03-18-2007, 07:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
*Rivsky* Super Moderator Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Australia Posts: 3,624 Blog Entries: 6 Rep Power: 132	Sounds like another case of responsible owners paying for the stupidity of a few As mentioned above I'd be making phone calls to customs to find out exactly what sort of paper work will enable you to get your dogs back into the US and document all your discussions with details of the name of the person you spoke to just to make sure you cover yourself as much as possible. I'd also ring a couple of times because often different people will tell you different things so I personally wouldn't feel comfortable getting the info from just one person in the organisation.
	__________________ As a member of Global paw staff my opinions are not necessarily those of the website or the owner.

03-18-2007, 10:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
TinyAlbinoDancer Always room for one more Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: CA Posts: 2,528 Rep Power: 161	I think I would be too nervous to take my dogs, of any breed, out of the country to somewhere like Mexico. The possibility of authorities not letting them in (when you've driven so far) or out (terrifying thought!) is too much for me. I would find a pet-sitter that is familiar with bully breeds (might search some pittie forums).
	__________________ ~Karen Missie~Trixie~Little Guy~Ollie

03-25-2007, 07:49 AM	#8 (permalink)
Vicki Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Solihull Posts: 100 Rep Power: 0	Where abouts are you in TX? I might be able to recommend some fantastic boarding kennels!
	__________________ ~ My Blog ~

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
YOUR WHOLE PET Real food for dogs is easier than you think	TribalRats	Dog News and Dogs in Popular Media	5	02-23-2007 10:15 PM
Sled-dog whisperer	TribalRats	Dog News and Dogs in Popular Media	0	02-10-2007 06:15 PM
Dog lover in limbo	Crossfire Bulldogs	Dog News and Dogs in Popular Media	0	12-29-2005 03:32 PM
They're not the norm, but these dogs will still hunt	Crossfire Bulldogs	Dog News and Dogs in Popular Media	0	12-26-2005 02:33 AM
Dog Aggression in the Pit Bull	elegy	The Global Paw	10	07-08-2005 02:49 PM

03-18-2007, 07:38 PM	#2 (permalink)
LilacDragon Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 274 Rep Power: 53	You may well have problems crossing the border. I know that I was reading recently (I can't remember where I read it or where it was, sorry) that in some city driving through with a pit bull in your car can get you ticketed, and your dog impounded and put to sleep. Like I said - I can't remember where I read it or where the city was/is. If I were you, I would make some phone calls and find out what the laws are at the border for crossing with dogs. And if you do take them - make sure you have ALL of their paperwork handy. I mean - copies of medical records and everything, just in case you need to prove that you have had the dogs for quite some time and they are not used for fighting.

03-18-2007, 08:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
kcalbat kcalbat Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: TX Posts: 243 Rep Power: 59	do you think it may be easier to leave them here? I really dont want to though. I dont trust anyone at home nor do i trust boarding facilities. (a coworker of mine had her two dogs at one for a week and came back to severly ill and sick dogs. Her 8 month old Great Dane weighed like 38lbs and got a bacterial infection on her skin that scarred her and ruined her show career) I also really want to take them because we are visiting someone who has a enormous ranch and i think my two would just LOVE it. They need vacations too! haha! But i still have time to research. I will take your advice and call as many people as possible. I searched for breed bans or BSL in Mexico and there is none. any more advice would be wonderful. Any pittie owners out there who have traveled?

03-19-2007, 08:18 AM	#6 (permalink)
mrsgrubby Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,476 Rep Power: 140	When I went overseas for 3 weeks I hired a really great lady to stay at my house with my girls. She worked with my husband and just rented a room from somone, so she was thrilled to have an entire house for 3 weeks. We paid her like $200-$300 to stay at our house. It worked out great, as we have a fenced yard, so the dogs got to play outside, sleep in their normal beds, and their routine was pretty similar to when we are home

03-19-2007, 10:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
keekers Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 231 Rep Power: 43	how long will you be in mexico? if its less than a month i would leave the dogs home.i think customs would be a real pain. and in mexico dogs arnt treated the same way as we treat them. meaning they are like our children. its a different world (not a bad or anything- just different). maybe do a google search on us customs border crossing or something. sometimes you even have to quarantine the dogs too when going to different places. that would suck if you got there & found out they had to be quaratined.. good luck..

03-26-2007, 06:12 AM	#9 (permalink)
theGOOCH Doberman Pinscher Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH USA Posts: 745 Rep Power: 92	There is no way in h@ll I'd take my dog across the border. Too many bad possibilities I can think of trying to deal with border patrol in and out.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)