Top Activities For Dogs In Colombia

Introduction

Colombia is definitely one of the places you want to visit in your lifetime. It is a colorful concoction of music, rhythm, architecture, and culture. It is located in South America and its capital city is Bogota. However, the most famous city in Colombia is Medellin, known for its funky neighborhoods and many hills the city lies on. Colombia is well known for many famous people who came from this country, such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Juan Pablo Montoya, Shakira, Sofia Vergara, and of course, the famous gangster Pablo Escobar. So, if you are travelling there and bringing your dog along, there are many things the two of you can do and have the time of your lives!

Preparation

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Moderate

Normal

12 - 72 hrs

Items needed

Health certificate

vaccinations

Activity description

Before you go to any foreign country, you need to prepare thoroughly. Especially when you are travelling with your beloved dog. The last thing you want is to be returned home or for your dog to be sent back without you because you don’t have proper documentation. Ten days before traveling, your veterinarian has to complete the vet certificate for your doggo, and if you are from the U.S it has to be accredited by the USDA. The certificate in the USA is called APHIS Form 7001. You need both health and rabies certificates, that you have to send to the USDA to be approved. Your pet also needs to be vaccinated.

Step

1

Vaccines

So, 30 days before traveling to Colombia, your dog must be vaccinated for rabies. Your up also needs a vaccine against Parainfluenza, Coronavirus, and reportedly Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, and Parvovirus. This very important part of getting ready cannot be neglected!

Step

2

Certificates

Your vet needs to check your dog and fill out the health certificate, as well as the rabies certificate. Then, you need to send these to the USDA to be endorsed, and all this must be done within ten days until the travel date. Use express post if necessary to get everything back in time.

Step

3

Check everything

At the end of this health prep, you will need to have the APHIS Form 7001, rabies certificate, and vaccination certificates before traveling. Make copies of all of these and store them in your private cloud as well, in case you lose the physical copies, just in case.

Flying

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Expensive

Normal

8 - 15 hrs

Items needed

Blanket

calming aids

Activity description

Unless you have decided to go to Colombia by bus or hitchhiking, you will most probably travel there on a plane. Flying for humans is easy, but flying with pets requires a bit of research and prep time. First of all, you need to inform yourself on the airline and see if they allow dogs. Almost all airlines would require you to give them 24-hour notice at least to let them know that you will be traveling with a pet. Also, you will probably need to pay a little extra, and prep your dog for the adventure.

Step

1

Check, check, check

Traveling with a pet on a plane can be a bit stressful, especially if you have a big doggo. Some airlines do not even allow big dogs on, so make sure to let them know and ask if your doggo can travel with you. Pets can fly in the cabin or cargo, so do check with the airline to see what the best solution for you will be.

Step

2

Calm them down

It is essential for your pup to be calm during the flight, so they do not get too stressed and even sick. If needed, take with you some pet calming aids, but opt for healthy and herbal remedies instead of harsh chemicals if possible. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations. If your pet is in the cabin with you, hug them and talk to them to prevent anxiety, and the flight to Colombia will pass in no time!

ICA office

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Cheap

Normal

1 hr

Items needed

leash

documents

Activity description

When you get off the plane, before you can go and explore Colombia and soak up all of its wonders, you have to declare your pet first to make sure that they can go along on this wonderful adventure with you. Once you get your luggage, you will need to go to the ICA office and take care of the paperwork. Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, or ICA office is a Colombian agency that deals with pet importation into the county. You will need your doggo, the documents, and some money to pay the ICA fee.

Step

1

Document prep

On hand, you should have the health certificate not older than ten days since the day of arrival, the vaccination certificate which must include the vaccination plan for your doggo, the vaccine names, the batch numbers, and the dates of vaccinations. There have been reports of the authorities demanding these documents in Spanish, so have them translated just in case.

Step

2

Physical

Next, your travelling doggo will need to go through a thorough physical exam by the ICA vets. They will check your doggo’s health and confirm that they can enter the country. The physical should not take too long and should not be stressful for your pup.

Step

3

Pay and go

Finally, once your pup passes the physical examination, you are ready to get into Colombia! But, before that, you need to pay the ICA fee, which costs just under 46000 pesos, which translates to roughly $15. ICA does not accept cash, so you will need to pay this fee with a card, and they take Visa and Mastercard only.

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Important Exclusions

You need to know that 11 dog breeds are not allowed to enter Colombia and they are: Neapolitan Mastiff, Japanese Mastiff Tosa, Pit Bull Terrier, Argentine Mastiff, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Doberman, Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Brazillian Mastiff, and American Pit Bull Terrier, as well as the hybrids and crosses of these dogs. So, be aware if your doggo is any of these breeds, they will not be able to get in.

Explore!

Finally, once you have all the paperwork done, you can start enjoying the beautiful country of Colombia! Soak up the scents, eat delicious food, and let your dog sniff all the corners, and you've got yourself the adventure of a lifetime!

Conclusion

Traveling to Colombia with your doggo may seem scary and complicated at first, but if your pup is healthy, they will easily get the health certificate and pass the physical examination, and getting them vaccinated is not too hard either. You just need to be well-prepared and ready with your documents, and your pup and you can explore the world together with ease and class!