Single officers with dogs

[MiracleWhip]

Hello all,

I was wondering how single Marine officers deal with having a dog after OCS? I have not graduated OCS yet, but am thinking of every possible situation/question. I apologize if this offends anyone!

Is there any way to keep a pet with you during TBS, flight school, etc etc?

Thank you for your insight!

 

[Pags]

Terrible idea. Nuff said.

 

[wlawr005]

Poor fucking dog.

 

[Angry]

I'm Navy, not a Marine, so I can't speak to TBS, but for flight school having a dog can be done without a real hassle. Provided, of course, that it isn't a puppy that needs you around 24/7 because it needs to go outside every 30 minutes. If you already have a dog (can't tell from your post) and you've crate/house trained it, then it can probably last the day while you are in API classes or doing an out and in flight. By the time you get flying you should have friends who can watch it for you over the weekend if you get a cross country or something - I have a few single friends who had dogs in Primary - wasn't a big deal.

Past that, if you are single when you hit the Fleet and get deployed, keep this in mind - there are a lot of people (including other active duty families) who will volunteer to keep your Dog for you while you're gone.

http://dogsondeployment.org

 

[picklesuit]

It is a dumb idea. You are not in control of your schedule anymore. You may have to go to New Mexico for primary, or have a 14 hour day with little notice while your dog is stuck in his crate. I strongly urge you to not get a pet as a single member unless you are willing to pay for pet daycare and long term boarding. Not fair to the animal.
Pickle

 

[Flash]

.....Is there any way to keep a pet with you during TBS, flight school, etc etc?.....

This question has been asked several times here already and there is often a split in the replies with many saying that you can work it but most saying you can't. One big difference is that those who say it is doable usually don't have experience in the fleet yet or much beyond flight school while those that say it is a bad idea usually do.

Flight school is a bit more 'stable' than being in an operational squadron but even then as picklesuit points out even then you could end up going across the country on short notice for a few weeks. Once you get to an operational squadron all bets are off, you could be on a normal home cycle when on Friday morning your CO says you got to take a jet to X for the weekend and you are leaving in 5 hours. And that is on top of all the workups, exercises in addition to your normal deployments. You will likely spend 50% or more of your operational tours away from home, is that fair to the dog? Or whoever you stick your dog with on short notice? You may get lucky and have a buddy's wife who loves little Rover and can take him on 30 mins notice but what do you do if not? Or when she moves? You wanna be 'that guy' who sticks his roomates with taking care of a dog? Because several here on the board have roomed or known 'that guy'.

Do yourself and the dog a favor, wait.

 

[MiracleWhip]

Thank you for your help gentleman!

 

[Spekkio]

We had a single guy who owned dogs. It can be done, but you will spend a lot on dog-sitting. There were also more than a few times that he was frustrated at last-minute schedule changes that would leave him scrambling to find someone to take care of the dog, and a surefire way to piss off your shipmates is to tell them you can't do X on last-minute notice because you have no one to watch your dog, just like if you're that guy who tries to use being married as an excuse to weasel out of things. Overall, though, people were supportive and he did make it work (it works better for him now that he has a steady gf who can let the dog out during her lunch beak and after work).

There is also the added bonus of finding places to rent that allow pets, and when you do they cost more.

I love dogs and want one myself, but I would say it's not worth it and I have a wife who can take care of it.

 

[jtmedli]

I got a dog in Advanced. Honestly, it's not a big deal but for the following reasons:
1) I had friends in flight school who were dog lovers and were jumping over each other to keep her for me while on CCX.
2) I lived in a apartment complex that pooch friendly and had a dog park. She spent about an hour a day after I got home running her little heart out with the other pups. I also took her to the dog beach in Pcola every weekend.
3) I am now in said "Fleet" and I am in Norfolk. My parents are 7 hours one way (who have dogs) and my sister is 3 hours the other way in D.C. (who also has a dog) and any of them will keep her for me if I have to go anywhere. My sister has actually begged me to let her keep my dog when I'm gone because her Boxer behaves better when she has my dog to play with.

Having dog is no big deal for me because of those things. I've been lucky to have neighbors and friends who were good people and were able to help out here and there. Your situation may be different, but I'd highly recommend waiting until you're in a more stable situation than Pre-OCS to make that call. Between OCS/TBS/API/PRIMARY/ADVANCED you'll be moving a lot. And having a solid, consistent game plan for what to do with the dog when you're gone is absolutely necessary.

 

[Vegas]

TBS would definitely be the worst there is no place to keep a dog on base as a single dude so you wouldn't be able to have it at all there. I'm just in primary so I won't really speak to any of the other stuff other than to say other dudes do have dogs, some make it work better than others. The factors other guys have listed pretty much make the difference as far as I can tell.

 

[SynixMan]

Military surrenders are one of the biggest reasons dog shelters in the Hampton Roads area are so full. Do yourself and the pooch a favor and don't get a dog while you're single.

 

[zippy]

Lotsa comments. I took possession of a buddies dogs for a year while they were on an IA. I viewed it as a good experiment and his family lived 4hrs away so I could drop them there when I deployed. After I came back from my own deployment I invested in my own happiness and dogged it up with my own. Dragged their tails through out the SE US on road trips etc. when CCX bound I had roommates who watched the dogs (aka fed them since they were self sufficient with the doggie door) or they stayed with friends who had some they got along with. For the second sea tour I had people inconus who would watch the dogs during deployments etc. Not always the easiest situations on short notice trips etc but there was usually someone there to help out and you reciprocated the assistance if you can. If you do get one its a commitment to another living creature that will love you unconditionally so if you're a quitter or a sociopath it might not be the best thing for you. Bottom line is talk to your friends and family and make sure you have a support network/ backup plans that are there to help you be a responsible pet owner if you do it as a single guy or girl.

 

[jtmedli]

Military surrenders are one of the biggest reasons dog shelters in the Hampton Roads area are so full. Do yourself and the pooch a favor and don't get a dog while you're single.

....or just don't be an irresponsible prick. It has less to do with being "single" and everything to do being "responsible".

 

[MiracleWhip]

Thank you sirs! I guess the general consensus is it isnt a good idea, but it can be done if one has a solid game plan.

May I ask what the living arrangement is like throughout starting from TBS?

 

[SynixMan]

....or just don't be an irresponsible prick. It has less to do with being "single" and everything to do being "responsible".

If you think, as a single pilot, you can be responsible, more power to you. I'd argue a fleet aviator's schedule would make it extremely difficult and you are doing your dog a disservice.