A Girl’s Best Friend: Being a Military Pet Owner

Growing up, my family had cats as pets. Living on a farm there were a few years I remember a pig, horses, one cow, lots of bunnies, gerbils, a mouse, and one dog we fostered named Sparky Barkle. My father served in the military but didn’t make a career of it, so growing up, I never experienced frequent PCS moves or understood how difficult it would be to own pets when constantly in motion.

Military families don’t have the option to stay in one place for a long time, and that can affect a family’s ability to properly care for a pet.

Unfortunately, military families are stereotyped as being laissez-faire pet owners. Some shelters believe we’ll abandon a pet the minute we’re inconvenienced. That’s not the norm with the military families I know; in fact, I’ve seen firsthand the love and care and extreme lengths that military families will go to ensure a pet is able to stay with them through any situation. However, it is also true that the number of abandoned animals increases every single PCS season. Some animal shelters won’t even consider adopting to military families for this reason. It breaks my heart.

I can’t imagine not being the dog mom to my sweet boy, Rocco. We rescued him during our three years at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Having him as part of our family has been the best decision we made. He’s fiercely loyal and loving, snuggles as much as we want, makes us laugh at his quirky behaviors, and keeps us active with long walks and playtime.

He’s there when we’re sad and gives us that big smile when he’s happy.

These are all the reasons that pets are so wonderful for military families. I think every family deserves that kind of happiness. So, to help military families break the stigma of being bad owners, I’ve created a checklist of questions to answer before adding an animal to your family.

These five questions will help you make sure you’ve thought about what it means to be a pet owner with all the rigorous requirements of also being a military family so that when you do adopt you know your whole family is ready to commit:

1. Why do you want a pet?

I’m going to be blunt. Pets are not short-term fixes for loneliness. Dogs and cats live for 15-20 years, and I understand that reptiles live even longer than that! This is a long-term commitment.

You have to think about it like you’re adding a child to your family. They don’t “go away,” and you can’t just “give them back” when you’re tired of being a single parent during a deployment or have to live in a hotel room for three weeks while waiting for housing. You can’t say to yourself, “We’ll worry about it when the time comes.” If there are any nagging doubts, please write down the pros and cons list and address them as part of a long-term ownership plan.

Our biggest concern was what we would do if Rocco wasn’t allowed to PCS with us overseas. Before adopting, we put a plan in place with close family members who agreed in advance that they would long-term foster our pup until we came back to the states. We would still pay for the food, treats, and vet visits as part of this arrangement. It gave me peace of mind and made it a feasible option for our family members.

2. Do you have time to care for the pet you want?

When we adopted Rocco, it was because my soldier really wanted and needed a furbaby companion after a difficult deployment. Me? I had a toddler and a baby. I wasn’t in the market for any more responsibilities. And yet we adopted Rocco with lots of promises that I’d be doing minimal amounts of work.

But, guess who took care of that puppy? We really hadn’t thought through our daily schedule. My soldier was TDY or working long days, so it was left to me to house-train him, walk him, feed him, and do all. the. things. That stuff doesn’t wait until after 7 p.m. when your soldier comes walking in the door or even 4 p.m. when your kids get home from school. It was a lot more work than I thought, but the good news is that puppy training was done after about a year. An exhausting year, but we made it!

Don’t underestimate the responsibilities! Identify the person who is really going to be handling the care of the animal and make sure they are on board and willing to do the hard work.

3. Can you afford your new pet?

Let me just start a list for you: food, cages, crates, toys, treats, beds, vet visits, vaccinations, monthly heartworm medicines, flea and tick medicines, grooming, and so much more. Depending on the type of pet you choose, the costs can be hundreds each month!

There’s also the issue of ruined furniture, rugs, and more from chewing or clawing. I had to replace two rugs, trash all our outdoor furniture, add dirt, and replant grass in the backyard all before our PCS move from Fort Campbell, and we still have chew marks on my antique buffet to remind me, eight years later, of how destructive little puppies can be!

There are also lots of costs when your pets get older. Senior pets can need more vet visits, special medications, and lots of extra time. Consider the lifetime of your pet not just the next year or two!

Don’t forget about boarding fees when you go on vacation and the cost to PCS with your animal. A plane ticket can be thousands of dollars for a single pet. What’s your monthly budget? Will it cover all of these costs? Be fair to the animal and make sure it’s a good time financially to have a new member of the family.

4. Are you going to “follow the rules” and be a considerate and responsible pet owner?

That means, are you willing to pick up after your animal by carrying poop bags? Microchip your pet so that if they get lost or run off on an adventure of their own you can get them back? Keep address tags on their collars that you have to change every PCS? Pay pet deposits if a rental home requires it instead of “sneaking” an animal in without the landlord’s knowledge? Make sure they are spayed/neutered to help with unwanted stray populations and keep them in your house and not chained up barking all night long outside?

I’ve met military pet owners that don’t feel the rules and responsibilities apply to them or that it isn’t a big deal. I disagree. Being considerate of the rules is what will change that bad owner stigma and help the next military family with a pet that moves to that military town. This is all about our community helping each other to become accepted and welcomed within the cities that surround our military installations, both in the U.S. and overseas.

5. Have you researched any issues with the type of animal or breed that you want to adopt?

Twice I’ve watched military friends have to last-minute rehome a pet because the breed was not allowed in the country they were PCSing into. They were devastated. Their children were devastated. The animal was devastated.  I’ve also seen families lose housing options because they had a pet that was considered exotic.

Do I think it’s fair? Not particularly. Simply said,  it stinks that military families can’t just own the breed or type of animal that we want. Unfortunately, we have to add it to the list of sacrifices we make in our commitment to the military lifestyle. If you know a certain animal or breed is not allowed, please don’t adopt them thinking your story will be different.

Thanks for thinking through these five questions before adding a pet to your family. If you do decide on a pet, I hope your family finds as much happiness as we have with our Rocco dog! If you find yourself in a tough spot with your fur baby, please reach out first to your family and friends, then check out one of these amazing organizations that can help with fostering your pet, relocation expenses, and temporary care:

• Dogs On Deployment
• PACT for Animals
• PACC 911
• SPCA International

Are there any other questions you would suggest a military family consider before getting a pet?

For tips on PCSing with a pet, check out 6 Tips for a PCS with Pets and How to Put TLC in Your PCS with Pets.