Postcards from a Dog

With November 21^st, our moving date, rapidly approaching I need to get on the dog travel / import permits.

But what exactly is required?

It seems to be a moving target. Wait a while, and yet another form, approval, or permit has been added. Each designed to maximize revenue. Not mine of course. Theirs.

I wrote a letter a few weeks ago to the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix inquiring on the procedure for importing the 3 dogs. (not long a go there was no question as to the quantity of dogs, now there is). I also inquired if the health certificate really needs an USDA stamp or if the vet’s signature suffices. Provided the vet is USDA approved. Because you guessed it, the USDA wants another hefty fee for their stamp. Plus it takes about a week, which makes being at the border within 72 hours of issue of the certificate by the vet kind of hard.

I have not heard from the good Consulate. So I sent the same letter to their office in Tucson. What do I get? A call on my machine from a friendly but un-understandable man from the consulate. Call him back he says, or I assume the says. Couldn’t get the name to save my life. And thank God for Caller ID.

I call. Of course I don’t know who to ask for. But a very nice lady is more than willing to help. “No problem with the dogs, Mexico is a dog friendly country. 3 dogs? No problem! Stamp? What stamp? We are dog friendly”.

So I requested to get that in writing please.

This caused her to take down my name and phone number.

Bingo, the morning man calls back. I understand him as clear as before. Like every other sentence. 3 dogs? Yes, problem, $135 for 3^rd dog. Stamp? Asfkjriefnmnfrtkrqagarg! Can you repeat that? Asdjakhtr4uafgdjtg. I give up.

Can I PLEASE have that in writing.
No. We don’t do that at the consulate.

I spent the remainder of the day reading every opinion on the subject on the internet.
I even shelled out some $$$ for “official travel documents for Mexico” from PetTravel.com
The consensus is: You don’t need a USDA stamp on the certificate. Yet.

So here’s the plan. I get my vet (who is USDA certified) to issue the international health certificates. I skip the USDA stamp. We hit the border, 2 dogs in one car, one in the other. We hope no one looks to close at the papers and notices they are all in my name. If they do we explain we didn’t know about the 3 dog rules, and I did all the paperwork for all of us. But the other two don’t belong to me. Honest. Worst case scenario: $135. Worst worst case scenario: they make us get the stamp at the USDA in Texas. Worst worst worst case scenario: we need to get the stamp from the USDA in Arizona. But then again, FedEx and a hefty fee to the USDA can get that done.

Tomorrow: I will post the forms here.