Army Capt. D.J. Skelton, a wounded warrior who continues to serve, plays with his dog outside his Monterey, Calif., home. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III
Heather Forsgren Weaver, a colleague of mine at American Forces Press Service, is a regular contributor to Family Matters. Heather’s been heavily involved in this blog from the start. She edits, helps write and posts content on a daily basis.
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In this blog, Heather writes about how an English bulldog became an important part of her family and gives tips to military families who are thinking about adding a non-human family member to their clans.
Choosing a Dog
By Heather Forsgren Weaver
June 10, 2010
Pets have always been an important part of my family life, and that’s true for many military families as well.
When I was 7 years old, growing up in Utah, my parents bought us a Shetland sheepdog named “Lady Sunshine Spring.” She was a member of our family until I was away at college. As I was moving to the East Coast, my family added a Maltese-poodle mix named “Monie” to the family who was with us until 2004.
By that time, I had married and I wanted a dog almost as soon as the “I-Do’s” were said. Now that I had a fenced yard, I wanted a dog. So an English bulldog, “Sir Nasdaq Rukeyser of the Internet” joined my life. Nasdaq passed away last year, but my husband and I have recently welcomed another furry addition to our family, “Rokie,” another English bulldog.
For military families, summertime, when school is out, is a great time to add a pet to the family. And, there are some great resources to help you out.
Start with  Military OneSource and Military Homefront for great advice about choosing a pet.
Military families are lucky to be able to tap into these sources as they are contemplating adding a non-human member to their clan.
Note, I said “non-human.” This is an important distinction, because while we chose the four-legged-with-a-tail-and-barks variety, there are lots of pets, including cats, fish, birds, rabbits, hamsters and even snakes.
Much of the pet information I came across while researching the above sites reminded me of some of the questions my husband and I asked ourselves as we were researching which animal to add to our family.
Take the idea of pet-sitting, for example, which is a great way to see if you really want the responsibility of a pet. I actually pet sat when I was single so my now-husband knew I understood the demands. To confirm we wanted a dog, as opposed to another type of pet, we cared for my nephew’s guinea pigs. It didn’t lessen my desire for a dog, but it made me realize I didn’t want a guinea pig because I really didn’t like cleaning the cages. This can also be said of litter boxes for cats and rabbits.
Pet sitting also can give you a sense of the cost in owning a pet. Remember they eat different food, they require veterinary care, including emergency care, they can’t always go on vacation with you, and if you are getting a dog, it will need training.
Another factor to consider is whether someone in your family has allergies? I am allergic to all animal hair. I am willing to take medication to relieve the symptoms, but my husband didn’t want me to suffer too much, so we looked for a breed that didn’t shed as much. Beware though, we chose a breed that according to almost every book and online resource “only sheds twice a year.” That is true for our new puppy, “Rokie,” but Nasdaq shed all of the time.
Be sure to consider how much exercise will the pet need. My brother’s Portuguese water-dogs need lots of exercise. Running two miles a day is not something I wanted to do so we chose a breed that believes sleeping is the best activity.
And remember, in the case of pets, size can matter. What size pet should you get? We own our own home in a neighborhood with no restrictions, but we made a distressing discovery recently when looking at a vacation property that we thought could eventually become our permanent home. The condo building didn’t allow pets over 30 pounds. Rokie is already 45 pounds and she is still a puppy. Many rental units and some home-owners associations have size limitations. Also, some jurisdictions have other restrictions which need to be considered.
Should you adopt a pet, or purchase one? I always thought we would adopt our dog from a shelter or rescue group, but my husband wanted to get a puppy so both of our English bulldogs have been purchased from breeders.
Another choice is to adopt a pet from a friend or family member who may have to part with the pet. This will give you the opportunity to know the pet’s temperament, health history and basic routine.
I hope you will write in and tell me about your experiences with your own pets and their adventures, as well as how you handled moves with a pet – a topic I plan to write about in a future blog.