A Man Stayed in Egypt for Months Rather Than Leave His Puppy Behind

What started as a short vacation to Cairo turned into a months-long adventure that neither Ben Jenkins nor his pug puppy, Croissant, expected. Jenkins, a comedian from Brooklyn, New York, traveled to Egypt in early January to visit a close friend, bringing along his three-month-old pug for what he assumed would be a roughly two-and-a-half-week trip. The long flight — clocking in at about ten to eleven hours — went smoothly, with Croissant riding in a carrier under the seat in the cabin. Jenkins had specifically planned to travel with his puppy from an early age, believing it would help the dog grow into a comfortable and confident traveler.

“A lot of my impetus for getting him was having a dog that I could bring along with my lifestyle,” Jenkins told PEOPLE. “I travel for work, and I wanted him to grow up comfortable doing that.” The trip to Cairo went wonderfully, and both man and pup were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Jenkins noted that the socialization and new experiences had “honestly been really good for him.” Everything seemed to be going according to plan — right up until the moment Jenkins tried to book their return flight home.

That’s when he discovered a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule that had gone into effect on August 1, 2024. Under this regulation, dogs entering the United States from many foreign countries are classified as high-risk for rabies and must be at least six months old to be eligible to return, along with meeting additional vaccination and documentation requirements. Croissant, still just a puppy well under that age threshold, did not qualify — even though he had been perfectly cleared to fly out of the country by a New York City veterinarian. Jenkins was blindsided. “I had no idea this was a thing,” he said.

Rather than surrendering Croissant or finding someone else to care for him, Jenkins made an immediate decision: he would stay. He quickly arranged short-term housing through a friend in Cairo and settled in for an extended, open-ended stay while waiting for his dog to reach the six-month age requirement. “I have really close friends here, and just a lot in my life, I’ve been wanting a change,” Jenkins reflected. “I really took it as a sign from the universe. Egypt is calling, and I’m going to stay.”

Jenkins shared his predicament in a TikTok video posted on January 27, and it spread fast, quickly accumulating over two million views. Viewers responded with a wave of reactions ranging from sympathy to shock, with many stunned that such a regulation existed at all. Jenkins, for his part, took the viral attention in stride and hoped the story would serve as a practical warning to fellow pet owners planning international travel. “If you’re traveling internationally with a dog,” he said, “double-check everything; I thought I had.”

@benjenkinsta Go where life takes you .. or traps you #cairo ♬ Lush Life – Zara Larsson

Part of what made his decision to travel with such a young puppy so deliberate was Jenkins’ understanding of canine development. He explained that dogs go through a critical socialization window between four and six months of age, during which their habits and comfort levels are most malleable. “I want to show him the world,” he said, adding that despite the chaos, Croissant has been handling the extended stay remarkably well. “He’s really chilling,” Jenkins noted, clearly relieved that his dog was adapting without issue.

Jenkins and Croissant were scheduled to finally make their return journey home by the end of March, having rebooked their flights with Egypt Air once Croissant aged past the six-month eligibility threshold. In the meantime, Jenkins had leaned into the unexpected extended stay with genuine enthusiasm, even issuing an invitation to anyone thinking about visiting: “Come to Egypt, habibi!”

The USDA’s enhanced dog importation requirements were introduced specifically to address a rise in fraudulent vaccination documentation and concerns about rabies risk following a significant increase in dogs being brought into the country from higher-risk regions. Egypt is classified as a high-risk country under the regulation, meaning even dogs born in the United States — like Croissant — must meet the age and health documentation criteria before being allowed re-entry. The rule applies regardless of whether the dog traveled out of the country legally, making it one of the more surprising bureaucratic realities facing international pet travelers.

Have you ever run into an unexpected travel rule while traveling with a pet? Share your experience in the comments.