Lingle relaxes
quarantine rulesLaws enacted in 1912 to prevent
the spread of rabies were called
unnecessary by critics
Michele Elias was visiting her dog Molly at the quarantine station in Halawa yesterday wondering why the rules were not changed sooner.
"We hate having her in here," Elias said of her Labrador-German shepherd.
"I still don't understand why they need it (quarantine) at all."
Elias and other pet owners praised new administrative rules signed by Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday that will eliminate quarantine for animals that meet all requirements before entering the state.
Lingle signed the paperwork at the Hawaiian Human Society's annual Pet Walk at Magic Island. The new rules will become effective next Monday.
The changes end a decades-long battle by pet owners who felt that Hawaii's quarantine rules were outdated and unnecessary. The rules were enacted in 1912 to keep Hawaii rabies-free.
Hawaii is the only state in the country without rabies.
Dogs and cats entering the state were required to spend 120 days in quarantine at a cost of hundreds of dollars to make sure they did not have the disease. In 1997 the rules were amended to allow a 30-day quarantine for animals that met certain pre-arrival requirements.
Elias and her husband, James, who is in the Navy, recently relocated to Hawaii from Maryland. Michele Elias said she is bewildered why her 10-year-old vaccinated dog has to remain in quarantine for 30 days.
Last year, a total of 4,681 dogs and cats went through quarantine. About 75 percent of them qualified for the 30-day program.
The new rules allow for a quarantine of five days or less if certain conditions are met. They include:
>> Two rabies vaccinations, with the last vaccination given no more than 12 months prior to arrival if it was a one-year vaccine or no more than 18 months prior to arrival if it was a three-year vaccine. The vaccinations may not be given within 90 days of each other, and the last vaccination must be given no less than 90 days prior to the pet's entry into Hawaii.Owners who have met all the requirements will be able to take their pets directly from the airport. The fee will be $165. Other pets may be held in quarantine for up to five days, at a cost of $224.>> Microchip implantation for identification.
>> Blood serum test results showing a sufficient level of rabies antibodies.
>> A 120-day pre-arrival waiting period between the time the laboratory receives the blood samples and the earliest date the pet may enter the state.
>> Pet owners must submit paperwork at least 10 days prior to the pet's arrival.
Dogs and cats that do not meet all the requirements still need to go through either the 30- or 120-day quarantine. The 30-day quarantine costs $655 and the 120-day quarantine costs $1,080.
Chris Quackenbush, founder of the Community Quarantine Reform Coalition, which led the recent effort to change the rules, said even more needs to be done.
"It's a good beginning. We have a long way to go," said Quackenbush.
The new rules also allow quarantine exemption for dogs and cats arriving from Guam based on that island's rabies-free status and import requirements. Animals arriving from Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain are already under the same exemption.
For more information, go to the state Department of Agriculture's Web site at www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa.