Posts Tagged military pets
Service Members Can Find Pet-Friendly Resources at Their Next Duty Station
Posted by carol.bowers in Uncategorized on October 26, 2012
By Navy Lt. Theresa Donnelly
Oct. 23, 2012
Guest blogger Navy Lt. Theresa Donnelly is the owner of Hawaii Military Pets, a volunteer online resource for military families in Hawaii to help with moving with pets in the military, boarding information and pet policies in state and federal governments. She partners with nonprofits that specialize in service members and their companion animals, such as Dogs on Deployment and Pets for Patriots.
Moving in the military is tough. With loose ends to tie up, such as obtaining spouse employment, moving household goods, transferring schools, shipping vehicles and setting up child care, it can seem overwhelming. Many families have questions on and are sometimes unprepared for what resources exist to help them move their pets. Read the rest of this entry »
Military Vets Aid Families’ Pets
Posted by in Family Matters on March 13, 2012
Guest blogger Navy Lt. Theresa Donnelly, of U.S. Pacific Command, is the owner of Hawaii Military Pets, which provides pet resources for military families. She’s offered to share her pet-related knowledge in a series of blogs for Family Matters.
By Navy Lt. Theresa Donnelly
March 12, 2012
Army Capt. Dixie Burner and Army Spc. Carol Albino examine a stray cat that recently gave birth to kittens. U.S. Army photo by Kathy Eastwood
Active duty service members and military retirees who own a pet and live near a military installation have a great service at their disposal: veterinary clinics.
Clinic providers ensure the health of our furry friends by providing preventive care and wellness checks.
These clinics are run by the Army’s Veterinary Corps, a special group of dedicated soldiers who have a host of missions. They care for pets stateside, handle veterinary medical and surgical care, food safety and defense, and biomedical research and development.
Caring for pets is beneficial not only for the pet owners, but also for the veterinarians, explained Army Col. Robert Vogelsang, program manager for clinical veterinary medicine for U.S. Army Public Health Command. “Along with the primary animal-care mission for military working animals, providing some care to authorized beneficiaries’ pets helps veterinarians and technicians sustain skills they need for wartime and contingency operations,” he said.
Animal doctors travel to conflict-affected areas around the world to administer vaccines and other treatments for farmers’ livestock in rural areas and underserved communities where care for animals is limited or unavailable. In many countries, the veterinarians are part of the Army’s civic action teams, meeting with government leaders and helping them with sustainable agricultural programs. These “soft power” programs help build rapport in the community and can help weaken support for insurgent activity, officials said.
Most service members’ primary interaction with the Army’s veterinarians is through the military’s 160 veterinary treatment facilities, which provide wellness checks, preventive medicine and outpatient services.
Veterinary care is funded by nonappropriated funds generated through services charged to pet owners, Vogelsang explained, which limits how much care can be offered. However, clinics try to keep pet owners’ costs reasonable while still covering the expense of clinic operations.
Taking Care of Pets While Deployed
Posted by in Family Matters on January 27, 2012
Air Force Master Sgt. Robert Disney and his wife, Tess, gather their dogs, Sasha, Minnie and Wall-E, for a photo at their home, Feb. 24, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jamal D. Sutter
Guest blogger Navy Lt. Theresa Donnelly, of U.S. Pacific Command, is the owner of Hawaii Military Pets, which provides pet resources for military families. She’s offered to share her pet-related knowledge in a series of blogs for Family Matters.
By Theresa Donnelly
Jan. 26, 2012
Although the wars are drawing down, the deployment schedules for our men and women in uniform aren’t easing up. Troops continue to meet multiple operational needs, such as theater security exercises with partner nations, Navy ship cruises and other training requirements.
Many military pet parents struggle with what to do with their forever friend when serving our nation away from home. It can be tough to stay focused on the mission at hand if family affairs aren’t in order.
Enter our partners in the nonprofit sector. For the past several years, many organizations have stepped up to the plate, providing foster pet services to our deploying troops.
“Military members have a hundred things to worry about when deployment or training comes up. The last thing they should have to worry about is the care of their pets while they’re away,” said Alisa Johnson, a Marine Corps officer and president of Dogs on Deployment, a nonprofit organization matching service members needing a foster pet family with volunteers who have agreed to take in their animals.
Alisa and her husband, Shawn, a Navy officer, observed the challenges military families face when it comes to pet care, which led to the creation of this service.
“We’re especially concerned with those military members that may live on one coast, while all their family lives on another, limiting those that they can rely on in their times of need,” Alisa said.
Since they launched the organization in June, more than 140 families have volunteered to be “boarders” and 20 dogs have been placed in temporary foster care.
Along with national organizations helping troops — including Dogs on Deployment and Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet — many local animal shelters are answering the call of duty and creating programs in their communities to help deployed service members with pet care.
The Hawaiian Humane Society’s Pets of Patriots program provides pet care assistance to military personnel deploying on short notice due to war. Families living on Oahu can sign up to be foster parents, while military pet owners provide food and medical care while away from their duty station. The society assists with the written agreements, provides sample forms and helps find suitable volunteers.
Additionally, the San Diego County Humane Society offered a low-cost seminar in December for military families to provide information on pet resources for relocation and deployment.
If you need a home for your pet while deployed, check with your local animal shelter to see if they might have a military pet outreach program, contact a national foster military pet organization or see if your command has a spouse communication network to seek temporary pet parents. The military in our own community can act as our second family, helping to provide resources for our furry friends.