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Having Pets While in The Military

It goes without saying that military families, as much as any animal lovers, enjoy the impact of animals in their lives — the sheer joy of having a furry BFF — which undoubtedly enrich the life of the entire family. Being a military family with a dog or a cat is not all that different from being a civilian family with a pet. Either way, there are financial responsibilities and time commitments involved, regardless of the kinds of animals you choose. We want you to know that Waggle is there to support you, should you ever find yourself facing an unanticipated but financially constraining veterinary bill.

Can You Have a Military Career With a Dog or Cat?

Military families are not unlike other pet-guardian families; the care required of a service member's dog or cat does not differ much from care to pets of civilian families. You will be one of the two-thirds of American families, or 81 million American households, that have committed to caring for a beloved animal — for a total of 173 million cats and dogs in this country. 

It is worth underscoring the obvious: When living in the barracks, a pet is a no-no, but if you are living in a private home or a military-owned home on a base campus, then, yes, your cat or dog is allowed, unless there are specific regulations against it. As with everything: Know your housing constraints and any local restrictions before falling in love with Fluffy or Fido. However, it is worth noting that, if you are occupying military housing, certain breed categories are not allowed as companion animals. Breed restrictions and rules regarding exotic animals can vary, so for the most up-to-date information, be sure to check with the appropriate housing office for details.

A military service member with a dog

How Does PCS or Military Deployment Affect Pet Ownership?

Add to these costs the possibility of permanent change-of-station (PCS) and the accompanying upheaval associated with it, especially if you will be stationed in a foreign country. It's hard enough to move a human family, let alone engineer the logistics of pet travel. If you are single, then the burden of dealing with all these logistics for your four-legged family member falls on your shoulders, and you may be left with many questions: What happens to a pet when a service member is deployed? Does the military pay any of the movement expenses for your pet? Who can foster dogs for military personnel? Is there pro bono dog boarding when troops are deployed?  Are there agencies that help with military dogs or organizations that can take care of them when a service member deploys?

These are all very important considerations, and to prepare for these possibilities — in some cases, very real eventualities — it is worth doing your research ahead of time. There are many resources for service members who receive military deployment or PCS orders that you can tap into with a few clicks of the keyboard. You might wish to check out Military.com, TodaysMilitary.com, or MilitaryOneSource.mil, to name a few.

Can I Take My Dog on Military Deployment?

Another problem members of the armed services have, which clearly civilians do not, is deployment. You may ask, "Can I take my dog on deployment?" As you might guess, the short answer is no. You may want to ask friends and family for assistance or, depending on your circumstances, you might consider short-term boarding options until a longer-term solution becomes available. And for those who may need more long-term solutions, there are many great resources and foster care programs available to assist service members with dogs on deployment:

  • RedCross.org's Pre-Deployment Preparedness Tool for Family Members
  • DogsOnDeployment.org, which was founded in 2011 by two military veterans, a husband and wife, who, on occasion, found themselves in need of someone to care for their beloved JD, a Mini-Australian Shepherd.
  • PACTforAnimals.org, which is working toward the goal of seeing zero pets unwillingly surrendered to animal shelters due to a temporary military deployment or medical crisis.
A resting dog

What to Know About Caring for Your Pet While in the Military

Even with all the challenges in costs and logistics, our furry family members are definitely worth it. But even assuming no deployment, no PCS orders, and an otherwise stable life, you should still be prepared to shoulder those unexpected emergency costs for your four-legged BFF. If you are fortunate enough to have no emergencies — inquisitive canine Sparky ate an avocado pit from the trashcan, or feline Muffin needs dialysis — consider yourself blessed. But emergencies always happen, especially as our pets get older.

Waggle is Here to Help Military Service Members

We at Waggle understand that emergencies happen, and we're here to help with financial assistance through our crowdfunding platform and the support of our donors, sponsors, and partners. In addition, Waggle provides educational resources, tools, and links to groups and organizations that are here to help pet families, especially military pet families, in need.

Posting your campaign on the Waggle platform just may offer a fairy godmother-like solution, banishing the problem of an unexpected and overwhelming veterinary invoice from your stack of bills. Although we cannot always wave a magic wand and solve all your financial problems, what we can always do is offer hope — hope that if you post your campaign on our pet-focused, crowdfunding website and share your compelling story with pictures of your four-legged fur-baby, people will respond. And you'll soon find you have reached the dollar amount you need to pay for your pet's medical emergency — whether it's your senior dog's dental surgery or your precious cat's leukemia treatment.

Just read the happy tale of Onyx, a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and treasured pet of former military personnel. Onyx's campaign was fully funded, and he is now doing great! At any given moment, we have campaigns up and running for military pets; you may even decide you want to donate to help another service member's dog or cat, or contribute to our FurEver Fund monthly donation program, which helps countless dogs and cats.

At Waggle, we are all about happy endings — keeping families and their pets together.

Should you ever need us, we hope we can help you find your storybook ending.

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