Cdc denied my dog entry to the US I’m devasted
Posted by Public_Animal2016@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 53 comments
The CDC has denied my dog entry into the U.S. I’m a U.S. citizen, originally from Brazil, and I decided to get a dog there. I was sold a puppy that was supposed to be 7 months old. I spent about $5,000 to bring her to the U.S., following all the rules. I did the serology titer test, microchipped her, and made an appointment at a registered facility. Everything seemed in order, but they reviewed photos of her teeth and claim she’s not yet 6 months old. Now, they want to send her back to Brazil.
I’m terrified for her well-being—she’s a small Yorkie, and I’m worried she won’t survive the trip back. I recently lost another Yorkie to cancer a few months ago, and I can’t bear the thought of losing another dog.
Tiny-Worldliness-313@reddit
Is there a way for you to appeal? Everything in life has an appeal process and you should contact an American attorney and ask how to appeal.
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
Yes I am appealing, thank you
Tiny-Worldliness-313@reddit
Glad to hear it! I hope you and your pup prevail. Keep us posted.
Otherwise-Growth1920@reddit
No, not everything has an appeal process, what kind of completely sheltered life have you been living?
Tiny-Worldliness-313@reddit
That’s how the legal world works.
mayfeelthis@reddit
Did you buy a dog abroad knowing you’d be moving?
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
No, I live in the US, and I decided to get this dog in Brazil, my family had get for months and the process to import a dog take at least 3 months, we did everything that we were told
mayfeelthis@reddit
Why import a dog to begin with?
Sorry it didn’t work out. Given there are no attachments and the dog is not losing his home in the US, I think it makes sense to rehome him in Brazil and get a local dog. Imho
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
First, I spent 20 days in Brazil with my dog personally. Second, even when I wasn’t there, she was with my family, and I video-called three times a day to check on her. I even video-called for all her appointments and training sessions, so there’s a strong bond.
My previous Yorkie traveled back and forth between Brazil with me at least 20 times during her life, so I never imagined I would face an issue like this.
She passed away in April from throat cancer at 13 years old, and I was devastated. I couldn’t work for months. My dogs mean more to me than a lot of humans. So no, I don’t want to send her back, and I’m going to fight so she can stay here. Hopefully, it will work out—I’m praying for that.
mayfeelthis@reddit
I’m sorry for your loss. I do get your feelings and you definitely have a lot to process and heal. Wish I could take it away, as we all do ig. Take care
Wrt this dog, I get the 3 months was a process and attachments get formed. But he’s ok with your family/the environment in Brazil. It’s fair to accept maybe it was a bad call.
But if you want to wait and have the dog move when he’s of age, of course do that.
I was just trying to say what I was thinking, some of the comments also touched on. It may have been an unnecessary struggle for you and the dog to look at local dogs, something to keep in mind for future.
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
Thank you, but I want to point out that she is indeed 7 months, so I should not have to wait, hopefully everything will resolve
mayfeelthis@reddit
I hear you, meh protocols and documentation checkboxes - hope it’s soon.
libbie_herzog@reddit
That's a really tough situation, I'm so sorry you're going through this. Losing a beloved pet is heartbreaking, and now facing uncertainty with your new pup must be incredibly stressful.
It sounds like you tried to follow all the rules and requirements, but sometimes things can still go wrong unexpectedly. The age discrepancy is unfortunate - is there any way to get documentation from the breeder or vet in Brazil to help prove her age? It might be worth exploring if you haven't already.
I really hope you're able to find a solution and get your yorkie to the US safely. Sending positive thoughts your way during this difficult time. Remember to take care of yourself too while navigating this challenging situation. Wishing you and your pup all the best.
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
Hello, thank you so much I’m working on solving this. I’ll give an update
Otherwise-Growth1920@reddit
It’s a tough situation entirely of the OP’s creation.
Vanillaishh@reddit
It's heartbreaking when all your plans fall apart, especially when it involves someone you deeply care about.
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your kind response
muffinsforpete@reddit
Finally a kind comment. So much judgment and meanness here…
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
Yes, this was the most unhelpful thing
Otherwise-Growth1920@reddit
LOL what? If you stick your hand into a fire don’t expect any understanding or sympathy from people.
muffinsforpete@reddit
You are right. The world needs more people pointing out faults and bad reasoning. W ended MORE!
Able-Exam6453@reddit
What are you smoking?
Otherwise-Growth1920@reddit
What plans? It obvious the OP put ZERO thought into this decision.
One-Chemist-6131@reddit
It sucks for your poor puppy, but you show poor judgment and I question your fitness as a dog owner. Why in the world did you think it was a good idea to buy a puppy abroad from a sketchy breeder, knowing that the puppy has to go on an international flight and CDC screening?! I had an adult dog go on a domestic flight once when we moved and it was a 3 hour flight and I wouldn't even do that again. I will drive cross country before I do that again.
I hope your puppy makes it back safely but you really need to think about your choices and how selfish they are.
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
First, I’d love to meet someone who takes care of their dog like I do. This is not my first dog, and I travel internationally quite often, several times a year. As I’ve mentioned many times, I had a previous dog and traveled with her frequently. I don’t know how big your dog is, but mine flies in the cabin with me. She’s 7 months old, and I hired a private trainer to desensitize her to noises, and she did wonderfully during the flight. The CDC changed the rules on August 1st, and they’re making things difficult. I’m done answering now—this was my first and last time posting on Reddit. There hasn’t been a single helpful comment. Whether it was a good decision or not, the dog is here now, and I can’t change the past
new_bobbynewmark@reddit
I just don’t get why it was so important to get it from Brazil that OP was willing to pay MORE he would pay for the same dog with pedigree (papers) in the US. Plus the extra hussle to get the dog through the borders. Doesn’t sound very smart
Public_Animal2016@reddit (OP)
First, people have their reasons for the choices they make. I travel a lot for work, and all my family is in Brazil, so I decided to get my dog there to be trained. I go to Brazil twice a year, so I thought it would cost about the same, and it made sense since I travel there regularly. I had a previous dog that I took back and forth from Brazil many times, so I never imagined it would be so difficult this time.
GuyFoldingPapers@reddit
It was never about the dog. OP just wanted to sound cool with his Portuguese barking dog around his friends
IntelligentMoney2@reddit
The dog said “oi oi oi, tudo Bem?!”
rarsamx@reddit
Oh, you don't know Brazilians with money. They feel the need to demonstrate it and they feel absolutely entitled to do whatever they want.
I am 99% sure of the political leanings of OP.
This charade may just be so they can say they spent $5,000 importing the dog.
cr1zzl@reddit
Travelling so far is a lot of stress on such a young puppy who just got adopted (they’re already unsettled for the first 3 months into an adoption without putting travel on top of that)… I’m not sure why anyone would think this is a good idea to begin with. And it sounds (from the words you’re using, anyway) you didn’t do your research and supported a backyard breeder.
I’m sorry you’re going through this right now but im constantly amazed at how many people fail to do proper research when it comes to buying from a reputable breeder or how little they know about proper dog care once they get one. I hope you are reunited with your pup and she doesn’t suffer long term from this trauma.
seachimera@reddit
There is no such thing as a reputable breeder-- narrowing the gene pool for any reason only increases the likelihood of still born puppies and living puppies that are immediately put down. Im amazed at how few people are aware of this. Meanwhile the numbers of homeless pets put down for lack of homes is epic.
cr1zzl@reddit
It’s interesting that basically anyone who actually knows about this stuff because they live and work in the dog community disagrees with you.
Ethical/reputable breeders are almost always people who don’t profit from their work but are working towards building a healthier breed. They study bloodlines and genetics to ensure the best chances of a healthy dog. They work to breed out genetic issues that are known to the breed. They show their dogs and are registered with all the applicable organisations that are set up for the welfare of the breed. They are not backyard breeders who are only in it for the money. Head over to r/dogs and ask a question about any of this if you’d like, there are plenty of regular users who know their stuff.
Personally, I’ve owned 4 dogs in my life (1 currently) who were ALL rescue dogs. 6 months ago I rescued a dog from a shelter that had been there for more than 3 months and had a failed trial adoption before me, but I’ve worked to train her and recognize her breed-specific needs and she’s a really amazing pup. Even though I would never go to a breeder, I recognize the important role that ethical breeders play. I also know that it’s very problematic to say that there are no reputable/ethical breeders because it will lead people who want specific breeds to support backyard breeders (people who breed dogs without doing all the work with their bloodlines/generics/health if the breed) because they think that all breeders are the same. PLEASE STOP SPOUTING THIS PROBLEMATIC MESSAGE.
seachimera@reddit
It's my opinion. The very notion of breeding dogs when there are so many-- so many-- that are being put down for lack of homes. I feel that it is unethical. The notion of an ethical breeder is an oxymoron to me.
Don't mistake my dissenting opinion for lack of experience or knowledge about this area. I am not sitting in a bubble guessing about this. I have a friend who studied and works with breeding working dogs. I worked at an animal emergency hospital for two years. I have been a dog owner. And I have a lot of friends (and family) who own "pure breeds". Some from puppy mills and some from "reputable breeders". I am an older adult-- I have been exposed to and at times a part of this world for over 30 years.
cr1zzl@reddit
Okay well I do understand that opinion and I do respect it. Hopefully we can agree though that there’s a difference in how you’ve expressed it here and the way you went about it before, and how the original message is quite problematic, given OP clearly wanted a purebred and likely supported a backyard breeder.
seachimera@reddit
Not for me. Same same.
If it helps— my spouse wants a specific breed and his sister has a specific breed and so does his brother etc—-
I don’t share my feelings with them. It’s their business. Well, my spouse knows, but when the time comes I hope I win the argument and we bring home a rescue.
LV2107@reddit
There absolutely are ethical breeders. An ethical breeder does extensive research about bloodlines, is scrupulous about health and litters are carefully planned with close vet supervision. Ethical breeders are not the cause for animal shelters having to euthanize, ffs.
You're talking about backyard breeders who sell dogs of multiple breeds for profit. They are not the same thing at all.
seachimera@reddit
No, I am talking about all breeders-- I will make an excetion here for breeders that are working towards diversity with the goal being to breed for health and happiness of the pups. If you have to mention "bloodline" then you have lost the argument with me. I don't believe in eugenics.
I worked the triage phone line at an emergency animal hospital in a major US city. I did this for two years. Every night when I went home I collapsed in tears. We saw plenty of typical tragedies: heatstroke, hit by cars etc. By the far the most disturbing were the puppies that had to be put down due to genetic conditions that are a natural consequence of curated "bloodlines".
Its not just the backyard puppy mills-- its all of it.
LV2107@reddit
You are simply wrong.
I was a vet tech for many years, honey, I've seen a hell of a lot more than you probably did answering phones. I interacted with breeders all the time, good and bad ones, and it's very very obvious what the differences are.
The word 'bloodline' does not mean eugenics or narrowing down the gene pool, LOL oh my god. You don't even know the difference between backyard breeders and puppy mills. Ethical breeders take very careful care to make sure all their animals are healthy, well-socialized, and to breed standard. A German Shepherd breeder, for example, screens all their dogs for good hips, for any sign of degenerative myelopathy, etc. They require full hip rads at various stages in the puppy's life, they follow the health of every puppy in their litters. These are not people who breed for money, they do it for love of the breed. All litters are carefully planned, with heavy research into both parents, and puppies are sent to homes that are vetted thoroughly. The breeder chooses which pup the new owner gets, not the other way around. They take care to ensure proper socialization, give them a good foundation of training, and pay for a full health screen for every puppy before adoption. These breeders also often require contracts that the dog can only ever be re-homed back to the breeder, no questions asked.
This is NOT the same as a backyard breeder who sells "AKC" doodles to people off FB marketplace and lets them choose based on what color or sex they want. Those puppies get just basic vaccines and if there's a problem, will only accept exchanges for another dog. They breed for profit and for looks. An AKC registration means nothing, it's a piece of paper they can buy off the internet.
These backyard breeder puppies, as well as the puppy mill puppies, are the ones who ended up with us with parvo, with giardia, vomiting, with bellies swollen from intestinal parasites. The tiny 1lb yorkies brought in dying from hypoglycemia because the owners weren't told how to properly feed them. The badly socialized puppies who were sold at 6 weeks before they were even weaned, who turn aggressive and now the owner wants to put them down. These are the puppies that are sold to owners who have little to no dog experience. Who cannot afford treatment beyond the basic annual rabies vaccine (do you want to know how many times I've had people crying in my exam room when I tell them what parvo treatment costs and they tell me they have only $25 in their bank account, after they bought a puppy from someone selling puppies at a Walmart parking lot?). THESE are the animals that end up filling shelters and have to be put down.
It's not a black & white issue as much as you want it to be. I don't know where OP got their dog, but it was definitely not an ethical breeder. It's absolutely wrong to paint all breeders with the same brush. That's simply not how it works.
seachimera@reddit
Well when there was a vet tech shortage-- they frequently called in sick-- I was the one holding down the puppy while it was euthanized. I am sure you have more experience than me in this setting, but I saw a lot-- and phone triage at an emergency hospital required taking down a lot of detail. Our phones rang constantly, there were three of us in the phone room.
I don't know why you are arguing with me-- I am stating a personal opinion-- I am not stating that things should be "my way". I get my world view and you get yours. Its not a good/bad binary issue for me-- its too complex for that.
cr1zzl@reddit
Thank you for this. It’s very problematic when people say there are no ethical/reputable breeders because it leads people (like OP) to assume all breeders are the same. There absolutely are ethical breeders who work to make breeds healthier. I personally only rescue, but recognize the importance of ethical breeders and we need to keep calling out people like OP who don’t do their research before buying a specific breed and end up supporting a backyard breeder.
MsStinkyPickle@reddit
especially not with Yorkies. They're not a working class so it's not like they're being breed for specific traits.
Also anyone with a French bulldog is a moron who loves animal abuse.
ArapaimaGal@reddit
Hey, OP. I'm sorry you've been thru that, I'd contact a lawyer, CBKC, and maybe Google for a forensic vet. If you can't avoid the dog deportation, do the biggest paper trail you can,and keep all receipts. Can't you -at least - find a breech to travel back to Brazil with her in the cabin?
I have no legal advice, really. I'm just in a really similar situation (Brazilian going to Sweden with a then 7-month-old Chihuahua for a couple months), and the other commenters were no help at all.
cr1zzl@reddit
Please take a good look at your decisions as a dog owner. If you decided that flying a puppy from Brazil to Europe is a good idea, you are not a responsible dog owner. These are living things ffs, not toys for your enjoyment.
ArapaimaGal@reddit
I am responsible. She'll go as my carry-on, her trainer meets her once a week, I spend 30 minutes a day training her, we hired a specialist to do her paperwork, and all flights and planning were made according to her own needs. It's a 1,5-kilo chihuahua, we bought the biggest carrier along w a ticket with the biggest pet bag allowance, her vet already knows our itinerary and made a plan to keep her fed, hydrated and clean thruout the route. We've done a domestic flight together already to test the water.
Every single decision about this dog I've made towards this kind of trip. I'll literally enter Europe 4 days older than the minimum age to fill all EU requests. From her breed, breeder, vets, and even food and medicine brands, everything is deliberate.
I'm not going to Sweden for a quick vacation, I'm going to spend a few months there. Even the apartment we currently rent was chosen due to their location and pet-friendliness.
I'm fine w being called eccentric, even vain, but I'm not irresponsible. So far, I'm doing everything by the book, she's my utmost priority, anything that money could've bought was bought. Ffs, she has a multiprofessional team getting her ready, I imported her carrier from the US because the ones I saw in Brazil weren't as good, she'll have a better time than most children I've seen on planes before.
Otherwise-Growth1920@reddit
LOL contact a lawyer?!? Decisions made by the CDC and customs aren’t subject to any type of appeals process.
peppers_@reddit
Other commenters were no help because there is nothing to be done and OP was just sharing their story and not asking for advice or help.
ConcentratePretend93@reddit
There were recent rules passed that everyone is afraid of, and no one fully understands.. Do not dispare. Eventually you will have find the person you need to get back to the tops again.
Confident_Coast111@reddit
sounds like poor decision making on your side. the poor dog…
sus-is-sus@reddit
Fly to mexico. Climb the wall.
LoudRock1713@reddit
What wall lmao. Didn’t they only build like 60 miles of it
wheelsmatsjall@reddit
There are so many dogs in the United States that need to be adopted. I don't know why someone would go all the way to Brazil to get a dog and paid $5,000 when you can get that breed of dog for a lot less in the United States? Now if it was a child that is totally different because babies are very hard to come by in the United States for adoption unless they're handicapped. In the United States there are so many dogs that are euthanized every year that seems kind of crazy to bring a pet from Brazil. I have been to Brazil Argentina Uruguay Paraguay and all the rest of South American countries along with India China Europe Central America and I would never bring a dog back. The only thing I've ever brought back is a disadvantaged child because that is totally different I have dogs all my life and I still have two dogs and they are still not going to be treated better than human beings they are different.
Joorgeelohe@reddit
Guess the CDC decided your pup needed a bit more time in puppy preschool before becoming an American citizen.