Talking about animals… pets in Mexico

A lot of people coming to Zihuatanejo and Mexico in general, especially if traveling by car or motor home and spending long periods of time in this country, if not coming to stay for good, wonder about bringing their pets with them and what it entails.

Traveling with pets in Mexico is not difficult, but there are a few essential things you have to keep in mind, and steps you have to follow.

But before getting into the dry details of legal importation and exportation of animals, let me just say that we have seen and heard of some fun moments people have had traveling with their pets and have also fielded a few questions from pet owners planning to bring their (dare I say it?) spoiled, coddled and neurotic pets into the country that have given us pause, such as, “Is it safe for the dog to drink the water?” Hmm.

Cat in a hammock

Both dogs and cats are great company on the road. It can sometimes be difficult to find hotels or motels that accept animals, but many do. One friend of ours swears by the “no-tell motels” that can be found on the outskirts of any respectable Mexican town. They’ll accept anything. The only difficulty there is convincing the check-in personnel that you want to pay for a full 8 or 10 or 12 hours, and not just 4 or whatever time period their cut-rate price is based on. And, “No,  I do NOT want to have to get up in the middle of the night to re-register, nor do I need a linen change on any of the shifts.”

We have several friends and acquaintances whose dogs thoroughly enjoy surfing with them… literally. The dogs certainly come out on the winning end of that deal, since usually they get a free ride out to the break rather than dog paddling. Padding appears to be by far the most exhausting part of the surfing process  — so, yeah! let the human do it! — yet those surfer dogs still get in on the thrill of racing back to shore, propelled by the wall of water, and that’s really where it’s at, isn’t it?  When left on shore and told to stay there so that their owners can get in a few waves by themselves, these dogs can get downright despondent, burrowing sorrowfully into the sand, staring out to sea through big, droopy and almost teary eyes at their owners surfing off in the distance. Either that or they get yappy and utterly indignant. Each dog’s reaction tends to mirror the personality of his owner, I’ve observed.

Jungle dog

I remember watching a fun scene while walking down La Ropa beach several years ago. A large dog caught my attention coming out of the surf and grabbing hold of the leash of a sturdy bodyboard that washed, unmanned, onto the beach. The animal turned back into the water, leash firmly between the canines, and bounded into the waves toward a woman who was bobbing just beyond the surf-line. As the dog paddled out to her with the board in tow, I thought, “Great, that woman has the dog trained to fetch the board when it gets away from her!”

But no! As soon as his mistress caught onto the bodyboard and steadied it, up clamored the dog, leaving no doubt as to whom that board belonged, and then it kind of splayed itself out, looking for all the world as if it were gripping the front of the board with its claws, waiting with a most eager expression on its face. Mistress lined up the board and waited for the next wave to build.  With impeccable timing, she pushed the bodyboard and unusual rider off into the next wave. I swear, that dog had the biggest grin on its face, framed by ears flapping wildly in wind, that I have ever seen on any surfer or bodyboarder.

More than one friend has brought to Zihuatanejo previously house-bound cats from urban environments, fat and lazy, prone to things like diabetes, acid indigestion and a sluggish thyroid, and set them free in a tropical garden (and, yes, allowed them to drink the tap water!), only to see them lose weight, be taken off all their meds and gain splendid, shiny coats of hair. Just goes to show you, doesn’t it? The same thing has even happened to some humans.

Well, let’s get back to how to get your pet in Mexico…

Here are the cat and dog import / export rules in a nutshell:

Mexico allows only the importation, temporarily or otherwise, of cats and dogs. No other animals can be brought in as pets under these rules. So don’t think what appears on this page applies to your pet cockatoo, ferret or deodorized skunk.

Requirements:

A certificate of health issued be a Federal Authority or a veterinarian from your country of origin. The letter should be printed on letterhead paper from a licensed vet and should be dated within 5 days of the travel or border crossing date. You must show original and photocopy. It’s always easier to get a photocopy ahead of time because border crossings often don’t have easy photocopy facilities, or if they do, they might not really work. 

The certificate should contain the following info:

1. Name of the person(s) importing the animal showing the address the pet came from in country of origin and the address within Mexico where it is to be taken, and vice versa for taking the pet out of Mexico;
2. Record of rabies vaccination that has been applied within 12 months of the date of travel (only for pets over 3 months old). Copy of the pet’s up-to-date official immunization record is sufficient;
3. Proof the the pet as been de-parasited within 6 months of the travel date, whether entering or leaving Mexico.

If you don’t have these documents and proofs already with you when you reach the border, your pet(s) will be held and you’ll be asked to obtain the necessary shots, treatments and documents from a local veterinary service before being allowed to cross.

According to law, pet beds are not supposed to be brought into or exported from the country. Feed imported or exported is to be only that needed for the travel dates.

If one or two animals are brought into or exported from Mexico, there is no charge, but if more than two animals are transported, you then have to take out and pay for a Zoosanitary Import Certificate, payable in banks or over the Internet.

All this information, pertinent links and the like, are available online from SENASICA, the Mexican national agricultural authority, Servicio Nacional de Sanidad Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria at http://www.senasica.gob.mx/?id=623&contenido=5825&idioma=2