Single officers with dogs

[CUPike11]

As has been said, it can be done. I'm in the fleet and have a dog and he's doing just fine. Yes I take him to doggy daycare and spend time with him, but its easier now than it was during the RAG.

I also found him a foster family through dogsondeployment.com and they are more than happy to watch him during workups and my upcoming deployment.

Like JT said, be responsible and know what you are getting into and getting the possible dog into as well.....

 

[DocT]

Nobody loves your dog as much as you. Watching somebody's dog for a week as a favor is okay once in awhile. If it becomes the go to solution it gets old. As for fleet life supporting having a dog: my squadron is not deploying this year but I'll have been gone for about 5 months by the end of the year. Best policy would be to wait till its not just you.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

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?

You're not going to be able to have a dog at TBS. You don't get your own place unless you are married, so the only way you can have a dog there is if it lives with a married guy, which would be pretty ridiculous.

 

[zippy]

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.

You're painting with some pretty broad brush strokes there. I know many guys and girls whose schedules are hectic and not always perfectly ideal for a dog but are a lot more suitable owners then many others who neglect and miss treat their pets. My first dog was turned in emaciated because a divorcing wife was intentionally not feeding him because he was her future ex husbands dog and he traveled a lot. I wasn't able to be there all day but he never went without eating again for example. Ill meet you half way and agree that it's a case by case basis, whether or not pet ownership is a good thing depending on the person.

 

[SynixMan]

You're painting with some pretty broad brush strokes there. I know many guys and girls whose schedules are hectic and not always perfectly ideal for a dog but are a lot more suitable owners then many others who neglect and miss treat their pets. My first dog was turned in emaciated because a divorcing wife was intentionally not feeding him because he was her future ex husbands dog and he traveled a lot. I wasn't able to be there all day but he never went without eating again for example. Ill meet you half way and agree that it's a case by case basis, whether or not pet ownership is a good thing depending on the person.

It has nothing to do with handling the day to day care of the dog. I have no doubt any competent adult can do that.

It has to do with consistency that they deserve. I can justify my schedule to myself, the home for two weeks, gone for 4, home for 4, gone for 3, etc etc, and that's just workups for the actual 5+ month deployment. But the dog doesn't understand. My dog stays in the same home with my wife, but she stares at the door for the first five days after I leave. I can't imagine how stressful it would be for them to switch families every few months. People are doing that so they can have what they want. To me, it's rather selfish.

 

[HooverPilot]

I love my dogs, I have two. But there are occasions where I have gone flying during the day, but due to mechanical asscrappery, I didn't make it home that night as intended. My wife & kids can pick up the slack when I spent the night with a broke bird (and visited pigs in space) but a single guy needs an ironclad plan. You owe that to your pet. That's the issue some are warning about.

 

[cfam]

You'll never get a consensus on this topic, and everyone's situation is different. My biggest tip is to plan ahead for your deployments if you're single and have a pet. Shipping the little fur ball cross country to the folks isn't a process you can set up overnight. That almost bit me in the ass my first time around. Also, make sure the people you're sending fido to know what to expect. The 10 minute conversation I had with my folks about how I trained my dog and her routine made her adjustment process that much easier.