One of the most exciting experiences I’ve had as a 30 year old is getting my passport for the first time. I know this is something that a great majority of people do in their teens or younger, but I confess that I am behind the curve. Like Rory Gilmore, I’m up to my ears in traveling yens, but lacked the finances to make it happen.

For Christmas, 2018, my boyfriend paid my passport fees so we could see the world together (much better than the present I got him, which was jeans because that’s what he asked for). The day the application was sent in; I started looking into the import requirements for pet travel.

Why would I not just allow the Rider to stay local?

 Because he is my baby.

A coworker told me I am “one of those people”. Those people who can’t be without their dog and bring them to restaurants and dine outside. Whose first question upon considering a destination is “Can my dog go?”

For which I must say, if the answer is no, I will not be attending.

Conveniently located to the north of these United States is Canada. It is true that having been alive nearly 1/3 of a decade, I have never crossed the border into the land of the maple leaf. Canada is one of the most dog friendly countries according to an online listicle I read for gospel, (source: https://bestlifeonline.com/most-pet-friendly-countries/) with the added benefit of not requiring an aircraft.

Step One: Finding the requirements to bring Rider into the country.

  • For Canada this was easy because their website is in English and readily comprehensible by even the most travel inexperienced. The requirement is a Rabies vaccination certificate and a $30 inspection fee.

Step Two: Making sure his food can be transported.

  • I am lucky this was included on the same page as the previous information because I would not have given it a second thought. Food can be brought in factory packaging and no more than a pet can reasonably consume. This was especially important because we generally portion his food into sandwich bags for convenient grab and dumb feeding, but now we can be in compliance and speed through the process.

Step Three: Pet friendly lodging

  • While a great many places allow dogs, it is important to establish if there are weight restrictions, a pet fee and adequate walking surfaces. This is made more difficult because I do not have an international calling plan. Normally if I cannot locate the information on the company’s website I would call, but that isn’t an option for this trip. I was lucky to find a Travelodge with green spaces a mile from Stanley Park in Vancouver with their pet guidelines posted.

While I’m sure there are likely to be additional things that need researching, I am incredibly excited for our Canada adventure and prepared to take Rider across the national border.

Of course, because we are a National Parks family, we will be stopping in Olympic  National park and getting Rider another Bark Ranger medallion. Additionally, please expect a count of how many Dutch Bros stops we made between here and Vancouver, BC because #coffeeislife