Yukon dog owners have mixed feelings about new border rules for entering the U.S.

Taking a family vacation is a great way to spend quality time with your loved ones, and in some cases, that includes your dog. However, new U.S. border regulations could complicate travel for those with dogs.

In June, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced it would implement a series of new requirements for dogs crossing the border starting Aug. 1, including forms signed by a veterinarian and proof of rabies vaccination. However, in July, it announced it was delaying some of the new requirements but maintaining its plan to require dogs to have a microchip, an import form, be in good health and be at least six months old.

Haines Junction resident Jessica Baronette said when she found out her dog Tikka would need a microchip to cross the border into Alaska, she did what any travel-loving dog mom would do.

“We just took her to the vet in Whitehorse,” Baronette said. “(It) took about 15 minutes.”

The cost was $124, but it meant Tikka was ready for another journey.

“She can come fishing by boat,” she said. “She’s very excited to be near the water, so she can come… to our fun adventures in Haines, Alaska.”

Haines Junction resident Jessica Baronette had her dog Tikka microchipped as soon as she learned that all dogs must be microchipped to cross the border as of Aug. 1. (Jessica Baronette)

CBC News asked a number of people if they would consider microchipping their dogs if it meant they could cross the U.S. border.

Half of those interviewed said they had already undergone the procedure or were planning to undergo it.

The other half said they didn’t want their dogs chipped. Some said they weren’t comfortable having a foreign object implanted in their pet. Others said they didn’t travel to the States often enough to justify it.

Microchipping dogs is nothing new.

John Overall, a veterinarian in Dawson City, Yukon, said microchips are a great way to identify not only the dog but also its owner, especially if the dog runs away and is stopped by a police officer.

“It’s a microchip, as they describe it,” Overall said. “It’s an electronic chip that goes under your skin and stays there for the rest of your life.”

“There’s a scanner that scans the documents and gives you a number, then you go to a website and that number gives you the owner’s name and number,” he said.

It also includes the contact details of the vet who implanted the microchip into the dog, as well as its breed, he added.

Microchips have been used in pets for 25 years, Overall said. Many sled dogs in the Yukon are microchipped, a simple procedure that doesn’t bother most dogs, he added.

Overall, he said there is a noticeable shortage of microchips across Canada with new regulations coming into effect this week.

“Luckily, I had a little vision and got a few extra boxes because they’re not available now,” he said. “They’re sold out.”