It’s happened to every pet-loving international traveler.
You’re lounging on a beach somewhere in the Mediterranean or wandering through markets in Southeast Asia, enjoying your day, maybe even a beverage, when out of nowhere, a furry little friend makes your acquaintance. You squat and offer the dusty stray a few pets, cementing your connection with them. Chances are, they follow you. It could be for a block, it could be back to your hotel. It breaks your heart, seeing them, sitting on the curb. That’s when something inside of you stirs and a question bubbles to the surface.
“Maybe I should adopt them.”
You play it over in your head. It’s such a good story when people back home ask where the dog came from. “Oh, you know, I just rescued them from the streets of Bangkok.” It instantly elevates you over your PTA rival Janet and her golden doodle.
And beyond the mental superiority, it means you’d be saving that pet, right? You’d be giving them a better life. The more you think about it, the more you decide it’s a good idea. So you tell yourself, if you see that dog or cat the next day, you’re going to do it. You’re going to rescue them.
Don’t.
I mean this from the bottom of my pet-loving heart.
Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, don’t do it. Because if you do it on a whim, it’s not going to end how you think it will end.
Listen, I get it.
I adopted three of my dogs from the pound. A forth was a beagle mix that came from Michigan State University’s small animal clinic, where they experimented on the breed. He was born without an immune system until undergoing a series of bone marrow transplants. My current dog, Leela, is a three-legged pit that’s also been bitten on the face by a rattle snake.
Needless to say, I understand wanting to adopt pets that need help. But as someone who has traveled extensively with said pitbull, I do what I can to help educate people on how to travel and move with their pets (especially bully-breed dogs that have additional restrictions).
And yet, what surprises me is the number of people who won’t take my advice. They listen to what I have to say, they do the exact opposite. The problem is, I’m not offering an opinion or suggestion. It’s a fact. Flying between international borders isn’t like having a bottle of wine or personal massager in the checked luggage.
The United States is a country that has border checkpoints in California to make sure you’re not bringing up any lettuce or mangos from Mexico. If they’re that strict on produce, you better believe they’re going to be strict on the transit of animals.
The stark reality of adopting a pet off the street and trying to take them back to the States with you is, unless you follow very specific rules (many of which are timing based), there’s absolutely no chance the pet will be allowed into the U.S. And with many airlines proving to be that much more strict in checking paperwork than border officials, you probably won’t even be able to take the pet with you on the plane.
That leaves you with two choices. Extending your stay indefinitely in the country, or abandoning the pet somewhere by the airport. That “saved” pet likely had a keen understanding of where it was living. It knew what locals offered food and water, and it knew what other animals were chill or territorial. Leaving the pet by the airport strips it of all that knowledge and puts that animal in serious danger. So what was once a rescue mission likely will result in that animal’s death.
So much for that adoption story superiority complex.
Let’s get into just some basic numbers you need to understand, so if you do find yourself in such a situation, you know what to expect.
The cat or dog you found on the street will not have updated vaccinations. While you will need a series of documented vaccinations in order to return to the United States, the rabies shot is the most important.
However, you can’t just give the pet a rabies vaccine and be on your way the next day. The rabies vaccination must be administered no less than 30 days before travel. Perhaps you’re cool with extending your stay several additional weeks. In that case, you might be alright. During this time, you can have the pet microchipped, dewormed, and other mandatory vaccinations administered. If you’re in the EU, you’ll eventually need to apply for exit paperwork from special, certified vets, so you should probably give yourself at least five extra weeks following the rabies shot.
All of that is if you’re adopting a pet from a country that is not on a high-rabies list.
If you are in such a country, well, now you’re in for it. When leaving such a destination, the pet will need a rabies vaccination. Then, a month later, you’ll need to have a titre test performed. This is a blood test done to check for rabies antibodies in the blood. The processing time for such a test can be upwards of three months. That’s three months after the month you just waited, which means, if you’re lucky, your pet will be ready for transit in four months, though you should probably prepare yourself for six.
Six months.
Are you ready to remain with your pet for six months? No? Well then, you’ll need to find a boarding service that can care for your pet for that long. And I’m going to tell you ahead of time that if you are traveling from a rabies-prevalent country (which is typically a developing nation), that’s going to be extremely difficult to come by. Even if you do, that pet will be spending most of its time in a cage for the duration of its stay.
Currently, I'm in Albania, undergoing the bloodwork process with my dog. I’m in no giant rush to leave, but I’ve encountered two Americans who were obviously clueless about the pet transport requirements. One person I met for a drink and told them not to adopt a cat from a local pet shop, because they would not be able to travel back to the States with the cat.
Did they listen to me? Nope.
“I’m going to save the cat!” they said on repeat.
So they adopted the cat. Within two days, every airline had turned them down. She messaged me back a few days later, “Who would have thought this would be so difficult?”
The severity of my eye roll could have cleared a 7-10 split.
So now, the woman has left Albania. The cat was returned to the pet shop.
A second woman, a kitten in a freshly purchased cat backpack, approached the veterinarian's desk as I sat with Leela, waiting to update her rabies shot. She told the receptionist her kitten needed immediate vaccinations because she was traveling the following day.
The woman was insistent that everything would work out. I’m sure blindfolded men standing before firing squads convince themselves of something similar.
In the end, there would be nothing the receptionist could do for the kitten or the brand-new backpack.
Unfortunately, the best intentions on rescuing a foreign pet can, prove more detrimental to the animal. As Ned Flanders once said, “Well, my family and I can’t live in good intentions.” In the end, though it may be best to offer an animal in a foreign land some ear scratches, a few treats, and, if financially possible, donate a few dollars to a local animal shelter. These particular shelters are in dire need of any kind of financial assistance, and the money you give them would go much further for local animals than the Louis Vuitton knock-off kitten carrier bought to transport a cat that can’t possibly leave.
But if you are serious. If you do have the weeks (or months) to remain in the country, then by all means, do it. It will make your pet adoption story that much impressive when you return to the States.