Dog Law: Traveling with Dogs to Hawaii

Dog Law: Traveling with Dogs to Hawaii
By Robert Forto, PhD

This is the first in a weekly series on dog law. Each week we will explore a different topic regarding canine law, legislation and procedures related to the legal side of owning our canine companions. I have been involved as an expert witness in many cases over the years, testifying on everything from breed bans, landlord/tenant disputes, aggressive dogs, dog bites and more. I am also a canine behaviorist and paralegal. If you have any questions regarding dogs and the law I would be happy to help. While I am not an attorney and I encourage you to seek out competent legal assistance should it come to that, I can be retained in most cases by both plaintiff and defense counsel to assist in your case as an expert witness.

Special Hawaii Rules for Traveling with Dogs

As my good friend and travel agency owner, Ken Preuss of E-travel Unlimited, tells me, the world is on sale right now and one of the popular winter/holiday destinations for Americans is Hawaii. If you are planing a trip to Hawaii and planning on taking your dog, my advice is don’t!

Unless you are crossing national boarders you don’t usually need to worry about special restrictions on taking your dog with you. But if you want to take your pet for a tropical vacation, you need to know that Hawaii quarantines all dogs--including guide and service dogs, unless documentation is present and current--for 120 days when they enter the state. As a result, rabies is non-existent in Hawaii.

Not only do you have to give up your pet for four months, you have to pay for it: the current cost is over three hundred dollars, payable when the dog arrives in Hawaii. Airlines deliver the pets directly to state holding facility, and the state takes them to the quarantine station on the island of Oahu. Dogs are kept in individual outdoor runs. Owners can visit their dogs daily during afternoon visiting hours, but can not takes the dogs out of the kennel.

State officials stress that it is important for owners to arrange, in advance, for a private animal hospital to provide emergency veterinary care. The quarantine center handles minor ailments but does not have facilities for major medical problems. Unless a veterinary hospital has agreed in advance to accept an ill pet, the state will not take the animal to a private hospital.

For more information, please contact:
State of Hawaii
Department of Agriculture
Animal Quarantine Station
99-951 Halawa Valley Street
Aiea, Hawaii 96701-3246

Phone: 808-483-7151
Email: rabiesfree@hawaii.gov

If you have any further questions about traveling with your pet please contact the State of Hawaii or Denver Dog Works, especially if you are traveling with a service dog, at 303-752-2818 for more information.

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Dr. Robert Forto is an certified canine behaviorist and the training director for Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project. Dr. Forto hosts a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show every Saturday. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com