with much deliberation, Lila is going to go with my parents back to their home in the midwest.

Many owners share road travel with their companions. It’s long, it’s uncomfortable and who better to bring along than someone that doesn’t try to change the radio station? (we hope)

Often in my family we’d taken dogs on road trips. Their tags were current with the county and on them was inscribed their rabies date of vaccination. In hindsight, these could easily be forgeries.  Each state gets to set many of it’s own rules and regulations even when there is no federal law in place. They set their own import and export requirements for animals and livestock. We’d never thought it’d go further than a rabies shot but it can get complicated.

“ANIMAL IMPORT/EXPORT REGULATIONS” for states can be found individually and typically set by their own departments of agriculture.

“What states did you travel through? “,  I said to my father.

“Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico.”

Oklahoma, for instance, requires that you have a health certificate along with proof of vaccination for rabies, given to you after a full trip to veterinarian.

Our appointment tomorrow is 8:20 a.m..

I suppose since state rulings can be appealed all the way to a federal level that you may be able to get a pet back if a border station tries to press you for proof of rabies and good health and you can’t provide the documents,
But why chance it?