When a military member is deployed, what happens with their pets?
Alisa and Shawn Johnson had this concern when they both were being be deployed and unable to care for their dog. They had family to rely upon but realized many service members do not.
[adrotate banner=”21″]
The Johnsons knew they had to do something so others don’t experience the struggles they went through. Their experience is what led to the virtual nonprofit Dogs on Deployment.
A national site that lets volunteers create profiles detailing what kinds of pets they are willing to take in during their owners’ deployments. The volunteers specify the size, number of pets to board together and the length of time they can board the pets.
Military members log into the site and view the volunteers’ profiles. They can specify the city, distance from the city and can see how many pets the volunteers have previously taken in.
Dogs on Deployment offers online training for the volunteers and, once completed, add a badge to the volunteer’s page. A badge is also given and updated when the number of dogs boarded increases.
[adrotate banner=”19″]
“We board 150 to 200 dogs per year,” said Alisa. “All dogs must be up to date on vaccinations and spayed or neutered if over a year old.”
Dogs on Deployment offers more than boarding. Financial assistance may be applied for help with pet care emergencies, transportation costs due to military moves, and basic veterinary expenses such as spay and neuter through the Rich Setzer Memorial Grant fund, previously known as the Pet Chit Financial Assistance Program. For more information visit https://www.dogsondeployment.org/page/pet-chit-financial-assistance.
Pet owners must meet Dogs on Deployment’s eligibility criteria in order to use their free boarding network or to receive financial grants. View their requirements at https://www.dogsondeployment.org/page/Eligibility-Guidelines-for-Pet-Owners
Pet owners are financially responsible for pet needs while on deployment, said Alisa. It is recommended that owners stay in contact with the boarders too.
“People interested to help can volunteer or donate. We work heavily with donations,” said Alisa.
Visit https://www.classy.org/give/112849/#!/donation/checkout to donate or visit https://www.dogsondeployment.org/page/giving-levels to find out how you can support Dogs on Deployment.
Haley Knight is a contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at haley.knight@TheAugustaPRESS.com
[adrotate banner=”29″]
