“I usually bring him along if I’m still traveling within Java Island,” the 30-year-old professional dog walker told The Jakarta Post recently.

He said it was quite easy to take his dog on long trips. As Harley is registered with the Jakarta Food, Marine and Agriculture Resilience Agency (KPKP), Gabriel carries his dog’s identification card when traveling.

However, he has to leave Harley behind whenever he travels outside Java Island or when using public transportation.

“It’s really hard [to bring pets along], because there’s a rule that [potentially rabies-infected] animals cannot be brought to rabies-free areas from rabies-prone areas, and vice versa,”

“And even if I wanted to, I must obtain a permit from the government, which takes time and effort,” he said.

Gabriel said he actually knew about the requirement to obtain an animal healthcare certificate when going out of town with pets, but he said he never applied for one and doing so was not common among pet lovers.

The certificate, issued by the KPKP or similar agencies in other regions should be obtained for transporting potentially rabies-carrying animals, such as cats, dogs and monkeys, across administrative boundaries, especially between areas declared rabies free and those that were not.

East Jakarta KPKP official Marmanto said residents were allowed to bring their pets with them when traveling, but there were some restrictions.

Pet owners had to be aware that there were regions visitors were not allowed to bring pets to, like Bali. That restriction was aimed at preventing the spread of rabies, he said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Generally, residents who want to travel with a pet first need to have the animal’s health checked in the agency’s lab to declare whether or not the pet is rabies free. They can then obtain a recommendation letter addressed to the destination region and stating that the pet is healthy.

However, most city pet owners seem unaware of the certificates.

Dog lover Devi, 36, who owns a beagle named Chippy and an Alaskan Malamute named Hogan, said she did not know about the requirements although she had traveled with her dogs by car several times.

Devi brought both of her dogs to her family’s villa in Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, a few months ago. She put them on the back seat of the car.

“We brought them to our own villa, so the dogs don’t really meet other animals,” Devi said.

Cat owners, on the other hand, almost always leave their pets behind when going out of town.

Thirty-four-year-old Grace, who owns a cat named Miko, said she opted to put her beloved cat in a pet hotel to ensure its welfare while she was away.

“Cats are not like dogs, they tend to be afraid and stressed in an alien environment,” she said.

Popular

Women in philanthropy: Fifi Pangestu’s leadership and vision in Bakti Barito Foundation

Philippines to endure extreme heat until mid-May

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes off Java island: authorities