Nearly nine out of 10 dogs and cats brought into Hawai'i in the past year spent little or no time in quarantine, and the number of pets entering the state has increased sharply since the adoption of a relaxed animal quarantine policy two years ago, the state announced yesterday.

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 86 percent of dogs and cats brought into the state met requirements that allowed them to be immediately released to their owners at the airport, the state Department of Agriculture said.

Another 3 percent went through quarantine of five days or less.

In fiscal year 2003-04 — the first year of the program — 77 percent of the pets qualified for direct release, and another 2.5 percent went through a five-days-or-less quarantine.

Those pets, and their owners, are beneficiaries of a 2003 change in the state quarantine procedures that allows qualified pets to avoid quarantine periods of 30 or 120 days costing as much as $1,080.

Animals can qualify if they receive two rabies vaccinations and clear a 120-day waiting period before arriving in Hawai'i. The animals also must be certified by a veterinarian as rabies-free two weeks before arrival in Hawai'i, and have a microchip ID implanted.

The total number of dogs and cats brought into the state increased from 4,771 in 2003 to 7,653 in 2005, a 60 percent rise.

"The five-day-or-less program offers pet owners a reasonable option to actual quarantine, and the high airport release rate indicates that most pet owners are able to comply with the requirements of the program," said Sandra Lee Kunimoto, chairwoman of the state Board of Agriculture.

Fees for the five-day-or-less program are $165 if the pet qualifies for immediate release, or $224 if the pet is held up for five days — this happens when the pet carries exotic parasites.

For more information on the pet quarantine program, visit www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/ai_aqs_info.htm.