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BUREAUCRACY BUSTER By
Treena Shapiro
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StoryChat: Comment on this story |
Q. I was reading an article on taking pets to Hawai'i. It was dated 2003. Are the rules the same today? I want to take two small dogs to Hilo for one month.
I keep reading different instructions on different sites. My main question is whether we can bring the dogs into Kona without first going to Honolulu. Again, some articles say we can and others say no.
A. The Department of Agriculture is in charge of the animal quarantine program and keeps the most updated information on its Web site.
Previously, dogs and cats could only be released from Honolulu International Airport, but the law was changed in September 2007 to include direct release at Kona Airport on the Big Island, Kahului Airport on Maui and Lihu'e Airport on Kaua'i.
Before you pay for your pets' airfare, however, be aware that there's a pretty extensive checklist to ensure that no rabid animals enter the state. Direct release in Kona, Kahului or Lihu'e requires a special Neighbor Island inspection permit.
To give you a hint on how long it could take to prepare, a puppy or kitten would have to be at least 10 months old before it could complete the requirements for expedited release.
To qualify for the Five-Days-Or-Less rabies quarantine program, pets must have:
To have a pet released at the Kona airport (or on Maui or Kaua'i), required paperwork must be submitted 30 days before arrival and must include a letter with flight information and a request for Neighbor Island release.
You'll be responsible for making arrangements with the Kona Veterinary Service to have your pet inspected on arrival. (On Maui, the inspections are performed by South Shore Veterinary Care and the Maui Humane Society, and on Kaua'i by the Kaua'i Humane Society.)
All the information is available at the Department of Agriculture's Web site at www.hawaii.gov/hdoa or you can call the Animal Quarantine Station at 808-483-7151.
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