Buffalo Humane
   
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Transports into and out of the Buffalo area

Below is some information regarding transports of dogs that move through the Buffalo area. This is provided for informational purposes only. Buffalo Humane does not organize nor coordinate any transports.

In some cases, certain transport legs include border crossings into Canada. For such legs, information and guidance is provided in our special handout on the process of crossing the border. Also, Buffalo Humane has made arrangements with some transport coordinators to do emergency boarding of animals in the event they are stranded at the border, provided we have space, weather permits, and the dogs can be delivered to us.

For the safety of the animals and your own safety, as well as making the transport process as hassle-free as possible, we have some guidelines that you should review.

Sending shelters and receiving shelters/rescues, in accordance with the transport coordinator's guidelines, are supposed to have everything in order. That said, there are a number of reasons transports may be stopped and dogs not allowed into Canada. Common reasons for denying entry include:

• Dogs not owned by transporter — There are additional regulations for dogs entering Canada that are not owned pets traveling with their owners. Generally, this means more paperwork than simply a rabies certificate. You may also need an export health certificate also issued by a recognized licensed veterinarian (with original signature, not a stamp). And persons importing dogs into Canada "for sale" have additional license requirements.
• Dogs under 8 mos without necessary paperwork — You must have the proper export health certificate with original signature of recognized licensed veterinarian issued within 72 hours of crossing! There are specific requirements as to what is testified to on this certificate. Bottom line: DON'T TRANSPORT DOGS UNDER 8 MOS ACROSS THE BORDER. Dogs older than 8 months are only supposed to need the original vet-signed rabies certificate, but you never know what else they may ask for. A detailed export health certificate is best no matter what.
• Rabies certificate does not have original vet signature — They won't take a vet stamped signature or anything less than the vet's original signature, and you'd better have their state and veterinary license number included.
• Description on paperwork too vague or does not match dog — They want enough information on the paperwork to make the dog identifiable. More is better, BUT make sure the dog and description are perfectly consistent.
• Inconsistent paperwork — When transporting dogs over the border, there is often a jumble of paperwork for a whole gaggle of dogs. Make sure that you separate out just that paperwork you need, and keep separate for each dog, clearly marked. Tuck away everything else so as not to confuse things. Unfortunately, many of these dogs come from shelters with little/no staff or with paperwork that is a complete "mess" and isn't accurate. How many times has the shelter/pound paperwork had the wrong breed, wrong sex, wrong coloring?
• Paperwork indicates dog "purchased" — If you've got copies of receipts for pull fees etc, it then looks like the dog has "value" and you will have to pay tax on the "purchase" before entering Canada. Even though another person "purchased" the dog from the shelter or paid boarding fees or whatever, tuck that stuff away someplace else. These dogs are simply being transfered from one shelter to another shelter or rescue group, they have no value, and would otherwise be euthanized.
• Dog looks ill — If the dog does not look well for ANY reason, the Canadian authorities can (and should) prevent its crossing into the country. Dogs with coughs or mange or other such malady, WILL be denied entry. Make sure dogs are thoroughly healthy before going into Canada. If they need treatment in advance, Canadian rescues should work with US contacts/fosters to house the dog and get needed medical care in advance of border crossing. Injuries such as a broken leg or such are not nearly as problematic as a cough, mangy looks, and so forth. Ideally, dogs should not be on any medication, and there can be additional problems taking prescription or controlled drugs over the border.
• Dog looks like a banned breed (or something on paperwork indicates a problematic breed) — Depending upon the province, there may be certain banned breeds. For example, Ontario has banned pitbulls and other similar breeds, or any dog that has certain related characteristics (large jawline, etc). If you have paperwork that indicates pit, bull terrier, boxer, etc, you may encounter problems regardless of the looks of the dog.

In all cases, contact the relevant transport coordinator for more information or to volunteer. We encourage you to help out, as it is very easy and very rewarding.

Questions

For more information or if you have additional questions about transports in general (rather than a specific transport), please don't hesitate to contact us at .