Military and Going on Deployment? Dogs on Deployment can help.

If you are a military member who needs to find a place for your pet to stay temporarily while your away on deployment, Dogs on Deployment maybe just the place you should check out :) Always consider temporary care instead of getting rid of your pet when there are resources that will help you.

Dogs on Deployment Information:

Mission

LCpl Jon Contreas reunited with his dog Diego, after an Afghanistan deployment.

Our mission is to give military members peace of mind concerning their pets during their service commitments by providing them with the ability to find people and resources able to help them.

Dogs on Deployment is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit providing a central network for military members to find volunteers willing to board their pets while they are deployed or have other service commitments, making them unable to temporarily care for their pets. No pet should ever be surrendered to a shelter due to a military commitment. DoD exists to help military members keep their pets by alleviating the need for pet relinquishment from military members due to the hardships of deployments.

Additionally, Dogs on Deployment promotes responsible, life-long pet ownership in the military community by:

• Advocating for military pet owner rights on military installations
• Providing educational resources for military members about responsible pet ownership
• Granting financial assistance to military members for help with their pet's care during emergencies
• Promoting healthy pet lifestyles, including spay and neuter, insurance options and vaccinations
• Connecting with community organizations to ensure Dogs on Deployment resources are available to military families

Dogs on Deployment aids pets of all types that belong to active duty, reservists, guard, honorably discharged veterans and their families.

Our Goals

• DoD aims at having DoD Boarders located near all major military bases in the United States. A military member should be able to find a DoD Boarder located within 50 miles, no matter what base they are stationed at or deploying from.
• DoD will become a first resource for military members to turn to when they need long term boarding for their pets. This includes, but is not limited to, being recommended by military assistance organizations, base family support centers and animal shelters impacted by relinquished pets.
• DoD plans to increase the rights and education that pet owners have while serving active duty in the military. This includes bringing light to the problem of pet relinquishment by military members to higher levels of the chain of command, and petitioning for annual, military-wide pet responsibility training. We want pets to be considered part of the family by military regulations, not disposable objects.
• DoD will help promote the military-pet community by providing a database of partnered pet related businesses which support their troops through discount and incentive programs. Users will be able to search for local businesses which will provide them with affordable options for pet care.
• DoD wants to help qualified military members with the cost of pet care during emergencies, and/or before and during deployments in order to promote responsible pet-ownership, providing financial assistance to get military pets spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and help with cost of pet care. This is known as our Pet Chit Program.
• Dogs On Deployment

When to go to a veterinarian or just ask the internet crowd?

If you have health concerns for your pet always go to a veterinarian and get advice! Asking random strangers on the internet about your pet's health is irresponsible and not recommended. People have their own opinions or personal experience pertaining to their specific pet situation which does not necessarily apply to what is going on with your pet. Second opinions are always nice but if you must just ask another veterinarian.

This goes for home remedies as well. I get it veterinarian care can get expensive but why risk your pet's health? If you are low-income there are always programs that can help you be it pet rescues or sliding-scale veterinarians just look and call around. Pet insurance is always a option as well but make sure you do your research. 

In the end if you just can't afford veterinary care or refuse to at least seek out help paying for your pet's vet care or barely getting by just to support you or your family do yourself a favor and do not own a pet.