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We have never bothered with the USDA form, but it is easy to get it just takes a few days to do.  You don't need it in Spanish.  The health form your vet has and can fill it out. It is an international travel form.

As to the 3 year rabies we had the same problem and our pooch was just over a year into it. We had to re-vaccinate him. However maybe you can get your vet to indicate that it was a one year shot instead?

Bob K

And welcome to the forums!!!!

OH me bad.  Welcome from  me too.

Bob K

Thank you! That is helpful....is the form the vet has the APHIS 7001 I keep seeing? So many information sites that conflict.....my husband had also recommended we ask our vet to indicate that the rabies shot was the one year  just to avoid any problems with entry so we will see if he will do that!

I believe it is the same form and yes get him to indicate that it was a one year shot.

Also remember and it is most important that you need $10 fee to pay here.  That is probably the most important item for them here

Bob K

Thank you! Will definitely remember the fee!

I brought my two pets in. As long as the rabies expiration date has not expired there shouldn't be a problem. At least not when I brought the dogs in. All I needed was an international health certificate for each dog. That's it.

I had a 3 year stamp. You want to know what the difference is between a 1 year and 3 year rabies vaccine? NOTHING. Except another $20 or so to pay for the extra long duration. Just another scam by the pet medical mafia. Similar to the drivers license renewal scam. Another way for entities to extract money for nothing.

You are correct there is no difference between the 1 and 3 year shots.  But here it has to be given with in a year.  The same for leaving he country you have to have the same health certificate filled out by a local vet (usually $25 or so) and it has to have a rabies shot within a year of departure.

It is a scam for sure.

Bob K

My pets rabies shot was given about 2 years before I arrived. They never said anything on arrival.   They just checked for a valid expiration date most likely.

You were lucky

Bob K

I really don't think they cared much about anything when you arrive. Except to try and find items to charge customs fees on. It's so low key. I love it. As it's supposed to be.

They were very detailed on the pet papers though. But I had everything in order.

We once traveled back to the US and my wife forgot to put on the customs form we were traveling with live animals.  We had the dog in his small carrier on top of the luggage and just walked right on through.   So go figure.

Bob K

I'm surprised they didn't "pat down" the dog looking for Bin Laden.

Hi- I brought 3 dogs with me via cargo on Amerijet last July.  They flew from Miami to Santo Domingo (SDQ)  All my dogs had the 3 year vaccinations butt were vaccinated less than 1 year before travel so that is fine.  As long as the vaccinations have been given less than 1 year ago it does not matter 1yr or 3yr shot.  They just require annual rabies here in DR, they do not recognize the 3yr because Rabies is a huge problem here.  The form MUST be completed by a licensed vet who is authorized to complete the form and I had to take it down to the USDA office for their stamp and pay their fee otherwise Customs here would not accept it. I reached out to Customs in DR before I arrived to confirm.  I see that Bob K mentioned the $10 fee however when my dogs arrived I was told that fee was outdated and I paid the following per animal:

>USD$18.40 airport fees (DR Airport fee)
>USD$32.00 + itbis 18% (import service charge)
>USD$14.00 DR Agriculture (Sanidad Animal)
>USD$160.00   customs duties

Imagine having to pay that on a personal pet.  On the other hand I brought my cat on the plane with me in a carrier under the seat on American and paid $150 for his flight and just needed basic heath certificate and proof of vaccinations for him. 

I would make sure you book ahead on your airline and check with them for the requirements as they only allow a certain number of pets per flight and only 1 or 2 pets per person.

Good luck.

Not sure why you paid so much.  We just had a friend arrive with her two dogs and it was $10 apiece.  Which is the amount we paid when we flew with our dog.

Bob K

Sometimes they get whatever they can get. But it didn't happen to me at the airport. I love STI airport! SD is not bad either but so far away. Most of the time they don't care about anything

Hola everyone!!

Ok.....so we're travelling from western Canada back to paradise (DR) for Christmas.  Two years ago when we were on the island, we brought our dog (6 months old) and everything was smooth.  No worries.    Now, the big mutt is 114 lbs and we're being told we cannot bring him with us as he's too heavy (max. weight 100 lbs).   We would need to send him by cargo on his own.

For any Canadians.......we have always travelled Westjet to Puerto Plata.

For any Americans............are there any American airlines that will bring a 'heavier' dog along with us to DR?   

Naturally, we would hate to leave him back for the month we are gone.

Does anybody know if there is an easier way to get the big balooka over seas on the same aircraft?

Thank you !!!

You might contact United and American airlines directly and get a definitive answer. 

Bob K

Thanks Bob.    I'll do some extra research

This is for Freedom55's post about flying pets.  You might be able to fly your dog with Air Canada or Westjet cargo.  They don’t have weight limits on their websites so you might have a better chance with them.
I too am having a problem getting my dog to Puerto Plata, as he might be too big for the cabin (he’s technically the right size for the large Sherpa dog carrier which I’ve been told fits on Air Canada but he refuses to get in it!)    
I would consider Westjet for flying in the baggage compartment but I’m in Ottawa and can’t get a direct flight from Ottawa to Puerto Plata.
When you flew your dog on Westjet before did you have connecting flights and how did that work?  Do you get your dog at all the stops or are they transferred by the crew?

Hi there!   Thanks for responding.   Our first trip with our dog and Westjet went absolutely wonderful.   We flew out of Edmonton to Toronto, then a 3 hour layover and onto another plane to PP.   We never seen our pooch until PP.  Westjet took care of everything.   Just after we were seated on our Westjet flight in Edmonton, the attendant gave us a slip of paper identifying that our dog was on board.   We received a second piece of paper with the same information when we boarded the 2nd flight in Toronto.   We and our pooch arrived safe and sound in PP !!   

When I called Westjet this time, they stated that the 100 lb limit is a Federal Law and not a Westjet policy, thus they have to follow the regulation.   I then contacted Westjet's Cargo group and was informed that they won't be receiving their flight schedule until the end of October.   At that time, they would know if and when they may be making a flight to DR, so no guarantees at this time.   So far, we've got him on a diet (LOL) and we're hoping for the best

Thanks for that information with Westjet!  I’ve heard they were a good airline to fly pets.  I’m still trying to get my dog into a cabin acceptable carrier but if that fails I’ll definitely fly him in Westjet cargo.  I hope you have luck getting your dog to DR!