I am aware that some policemen look to use the dog crate law as a reason to pull people over to extract mordida, but what is the reality of needing to
use dog crates in Baja?
Do the military checkpoints insist that dogs be in crates inside the cab?
Do dogs need to be in crates while crossing the border in either direction?
I've got a friend who wants to bring his dog with us next week and I'd like to temper his reading of the law with some realtime experiences. JZ - 11-5-2021 at 01:36 PM
No one has ever said a word to us. BornFisher - 11-5-2021 at 03:14 PM
Dogs must be in crates. Women and children are fine in the bed of a truck.John Harper - 11-5-2021 at 03:34 PM
Dogs must be in crates. Women and children are fine in the bed of a truck.
The trunk works great if you don't have a pickup bed.
Johnsancho - 11-5-2021 at 04:19 PM
The Mex Army manning the checkpoints do not enforce
city vehicle laws, as the Mexicali cops with the dog crate law.
Obviously enforced only to the 'Driving While Gringo Crowd'
to pick up some easy $. Chances of running to one of these
guys is slim at best, but does happen. Maybe keep perro
on the floor in town. No restraints
needed of dogs coming back to the US, that is while in the
vehicle
[Edited on 11-5-2021 by sancho]gnukid - 11-5-2021 at 06:22 PM
Pretty sure the rule is "secured" which can be leash to region where dog won't jump up at you while you drive, if the dog is secure lower or out of
sight of the driver area when you cross, there is no problem.grace59 - 11-7-2021 at 10:29 AM
I've heard of people getting hassled in Mexicali and Tecate for this law. I've always restrained my Lab in the back seat with a strap that goes around
the headrest and attaches to the back of her harness. I do this just in case I have an accident. I've read numerous cases of a dog freaking out during
an accident and running into traffic or running off into the desert. TSThornton - 11-8-2021 at 09:49 AM
Unsecured dogs was the reason I was pulled over two weeks ago. But I was swapping stories with a long-time Baja traveler from San Diego surfing at
East Cap last weekend who has been traveling down at least 2x/yr for decades, and he related it's gotten much worse the past couple of years. He's
been stopped 4 times in Mexicali in the last several crossings for things like "You were probably on your phone" (he wasn't) and "Your truck is
probably over-weight with your camper" (it wasn't). So it's best to minimize the reasons for potential interactions, but it seems the all that's
really needed is US plates, a decent looking rig, and more likely than not, being alone. TSThornton - 11-8-2021 at 11:19 AM
The camper weight exceeding the truck's payload capacity. sancho - 11-8-2021 at 12:34 PM
The dog thing is fairly new, seems to be Mexicali, maybe
Tecate. As I remember they started out with dog had to
be searbelted in. The pocket knife ruse is also a tactic, like Swiss
Army knife, which they call a concealed weapon. The
payload capacity of a truck is new to me. Looks like one
should carry a print out from the manufacture stating the
payload capacity, along with the sticker on the camper
stating the weight of camper. Quite the imagination of
Mex city cops. A real gauntlet one has to run
