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Those who are AD with dogs
I've grown up with dogs and I am having serious doggy fever. I've wanted to adopt for the past 3 years but my living situation/roommates just didn't allow for it. H and I are hoping to adopt late this year/early next year and I am just wondering how those of you who are AD or are married to an AD soldier find living with a dog to be enjoyable..for both you and the dog.
We are stationed in Hawaii so one of my concerns is the transport of the dog to where ever we go next. My mom keeps saying "dogs have died from the stress of being in cargo on flights like that!". Also, I have been told that leaving HI there shouldn't be an issue as far as quarantine and all that (unless we go to England, which would be my luck). But I am concerned if we end up getting stationed overseas, are the bases and housing in Europe pet-friendly? How easy of a transition is that?
In regards to moving in general, I know it often depends on the personality of the animal to begin with, but did you notice any negative changes in your dog's behavior after a big move?
I guess I shouldn't be worrying about moving overseas and whatnot unless it actually happens, but I'm just interested to hear from other pet owners who move around a lot..the stress that comes with it for you and your pet. I'd hate to live without a dog for the next however many years because of a few PCS moves every now and then. My neighborhood on base here is FULL of dogs and they always have lots of activities (i.e. Yappy Hour, charity dog walks, lots of dog parks in the area, etc.) but I don't know if it's like that everywhere.
Re: Those who are AD with dogs
It's extremely pricey to ship a dog, our 70 lb lab/poodle mix was 1250 pounds, so about $2k to send. Healthy dogs generally do fine on the long flights, Hunter was just fine and totally chill about it. He's a member of our family and he goes where we go. He rides in the car well, and adapts to new situations quickly.
I'm not a fan of putting my life on hold based on "what-ifs," so if you guys really want a dog I say get one. But only get one if you know that he/she is in their forever home and you would make the necessary financial sacrifices to transport the animal from place to place.
I completely agree with that.
Our dog is 5 and handles the moves very well. H drove from WA to NY with him before we had met and he was fine. Then when we met we lived 2 hours apart, so every other weekend H was driving back and forth with him. When we moved back to WA from NY he was again great in the car, and just sleeps the whole time.
I think dogs have an easier time adjusting than people, or at least ours did. When we drove here we basically had entire life in the car, which was his crate, his 2 dog beds, some toys and his food and bowls. We were in our house for over a week before getting our HHG shipment, and he was happy as could be because he had all of his stuff, while H and I were totally out of place.
As for flying them, usually the restrictions are on short nose dogs, and that they can't fly if it's over 80 degrees out. If you get a small enough dog (under 20 pounds) they can just fly in the cabin with you under a seat. Our dog just misses that cutoff and is too tall for the carrier, so he usually just stays with a friend whenever we go away.
This isn't a hard and fast rule, either. Depending on the size of airport and USDA/Customs regulations at the airport, your animal may be able to fly. Continental's PetSafe Program, for instance, is USDA certified and regulated, so temp restrictions at certain airports may not apply. Depending on the size of animal they may only be able to fly into certain airports who accept planes with cargo holds large enough to accommodate the crate size. Hunter requires a giant, so he had to fly to an Int'l airport 2 hours away instead of the closer (yet smaller) airport.
But, because we used an authorized pet shipper who only operates through airports that use climate controlled holds and proper regulations, we were able to send him to Atlanta (and on to Charlotte) in August. It was 97 degrees when he landed and he was just fine because of the proper regulations in place.
As you can tell, shipping a pet is complex process. I would be just fine if I never have to go through that hoopla again.
I miss having a dog. Mine made it to Japan and back, and of course I was worried the whole time, but she was part of family, so of course she was going to go with us. We'd prepped for her to come to Hawaii, too, but she had to be put down last January, very suddenly.
That said, I'm not sure I'll ever get another while H is AD. It really limits housing options in some places (like Hawaii). We had 2 separate occasions, in only 4 years, where we had to find a sitter for 6 months at a time due to quarantines. That's a lot to ask of someone, even though I paid all her expenses plus extra. I'm just not sure I want to go through that again.
But I'll gladly dogsit! I miss having a cuddler in bed.
We got our dog 2 weeks after we got married and I don't know what I would do without her. She's my kid, she keeps me company, takes road trips with me and is a part of our family. The only thing I worry about with having my dog with DH being AD is going overseas, she's 5 now and by the time my husband gets a new assignment she'll be 8 so I worry about having to fly her overseas at that age or older. It is a little more difficult finding a house that accepts pets when we PCS but it's never been that big of a deal. We travel a lot but we always drive, if we do fly then we'll drive to my moms to visit and drop the dog off and fly out of that area.
Since the discussion of traveling overseas with a dog is on the table, does anyone know if small dogs can travel in cabin on international flights? Or do all dogs have to go in cargo?
ETA- Also we've PCSed twice, getting ready for a third, all stateside and our dog has done really well with it all. I'm not sure if it's because ever since we've had her we've constantly traveled with her or not. Since our last PCS she's been a little standoffish with new people, though.
TTC#1 since 12/2010- 12/2011 Hyperthyroid with Grave's
DX 10/2012 Unexplained IF
IUI #2- 4/25/13- BFP 5/9/13- CP
IUI#4- 9/3/13- BFP 9/17/13- Due Date 05/27/14
First ultrasound 10/8/13- 7weeks 130bpm
That's good to know that it's still possible to do. We only halfass looked into it when I went home at Christmas last year since H was deployed and I didn't want to have to board him for 2 weeks. I had already had my flight booked with Jet Blue, and they only do in cabin pets, and he was just slightly too big. But a friend of mine offered to watch him so he could play with her puppy the whole time, and we stopped looking into it.
I will say that having a dog makes being alone during deployments a million times easier. I am totally that crazy lady that talks to my dog like he is going to answer me, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Basically if you really want a dog and are willing to do the work and/or pay the money to move him with you, then go for it.
please do not get a dog if you are going to get rid of him/her in a few years cause you have to move overseas, or you think its to expensive....
but if you guys are ready.. GO for it
I vote for getting a dog!!!
DH and I got one once we settled into our house right before Christmas last year and we LOVE her!! It does give me a nice distraction during this deployment as well! If you decide to get a dog, I would highly recommend the Hawaii Humane Society!! **http://www.hawaiianhumane.org/** 
They take really good care of their animals and they keep them up to date on their shots and already have a microchip and have been fixed. The price is also the most reasonable I found on Oahu.
The only other thing I can think of is that if you live on post, you will have to get the $10 rabies shot for the dog.
Those experiences are why I'm reluctant to get another dog, but I don't think I was a bad dog owner for working with our moves the way I did.
My dog even lived with my ILs when I got back from Japan so I could not have to worry about apartment hunting. It was supposed to be really short term, but my MIL was diagnosed with cancer, so the dog stayed as a therapy pet. I would have preferred to have her with me, but she was so important to my MIL through that. Rehoming isn't always evil. My dog took to it really well, and she couldn't have known it was always temporary.
That said, having a dog does create challenges. We had to pay a pet fee (meaning we don't ge it back) of $1,000 when we signed the lease for our current rental. We don't have a yard, so we have to take him out to potty four or five times a day, as well as exercise him. DH deployed when I was pregnant. Fortunately, we had a fenced in backyard (the yard was not originally fenced, we split the cost with our landlord, a couple hundred dollars) and a doggie door, but exercise was tough during my recovery. Despite being a SAHM, I took him to doggie daycare two afternoons a week. He was good company, but a good amount of work, on my own, too.
Having a dog is wonderful. But, it is a commitment that we take seriously. It can be expensive. It limits potential housing options. If you do get a dog, please take him/her to puppy obedience classes and keep him/her well socialized.
Oh, definitely not! Like I said, I've grown up with dogs and more than understand the care and expenses that go into owning a pet. I volunteer at the animal shelter here and see a lot of adopted pets come right back into the shelter just a couple of weeks later. It's terrible, but some people just really don't know what they're getting into.
Thank you for the input everyone. It's good to know about the PetSafe program through Continental...I will have to look into more programs like that and do my research. I just want to avoid having to give my dog to my parents for an extended period of time because I can't bring him/her along. That would break my (and the dog's, I'm sure) heart! The housing thing also makes me nervous..currently we are allowed to have a pet for $200 deposit, we have a fenced-in backyard, lots of other dogs around to play with, and lots of pet-friendly places to bring them to. But, who knows what to expect where we go next? But, I look around and see all these dogs on post and it just makes me feel like, where there's a will there's a way, ya know? You just make it work, they are a part of your family and you find a way to make life comfortable for them and for you.
We are looking for a medium-large breed dog..whatever we get will likely be too big to bring on the plane. And so the military does not pay for the transport of pets at all? Looks like I'll keep doing my research, I just don't want to adopt and put the poor dog through too much stress! I just feel there is a big puzzle piece missing in our little family..a big slobbery furry puzzle piece!
No, but you can write off part of their travel on your taxes, including all supplies. So a Giant crate for the beast was around $150 at our BX, saved the receipt. Saved the transport receipt, etc. So we'll get as much of it back as possible. Depending on where you go it may not be as expensive as it was for us. We had to use an authorized pet shipper, so you know how it gets when you have to pay the middle man, and the middle man has to pay his middle man.
It got ridiculous, but he's currently sleeping with his head on my feet while I watch the news and I'm pretty sure that's worth all the hassle.
4-22-06
I've considered this, but my H isn't so keen on the idea. He loves dogs and also volunteers with me once in a while, but he said he doesn't really like the idea of "random" dogs we know "nothing" about coming in and out of the house every few weeks. I'm not too sure how that would go over with housing either, I'll have to look into it more.
We have a Doberman Pincher, and we got him from a breeder in Nabraska, and we live in FL, so he survived his first flight here, with that being said, my dog can handle change very well so a Flight doesnt bother me. BUT...... Where ever you go you need to make sure the Base/post doesnt have breed restrictions. Most bases wont allow, Dobermans, pits, chows or Rottis, and Double check over seas locations some wont even allow Rhodesian ridgebacks, or mastiffs, and if they do allow these breeds they have to be muzzled or go through a temperment testing
Do youre home work!! and GL
Even though my husband is Army And we can live on an AF base, we couldn't due to our "Agressive" dog, so we live off base and rent!
Oh, yes, thank you for pointing that out. We are aware of the breed restrictions and therefore are also restricting ourselves from even considering any of the "aggressive" breeds (even though, in my experience, it is the OWNERS that often contribute to the aggressiveness..I am so sad that these dogs have such bad reputations, I have encountered some of the SWEETEST pit bulls and chows). We are looking for Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds (I will have to look into it, but I don't think Germans are on the restricted list..at least not here).
Your dogs are adorable!