[priordine]

I had to give up 2 pets. My Chow & Chow mix obviously had to stay with my parents for 18 mos while I was in basic, tech school & Korea. I would sent them swatches of cut up t-shirts I wore for them to remember their "mommy." lol.

Anyway, when I came state side I got my dogs back. I kept them in my dorm room for a while - a BIG no-no, but eventually had to board them at the vet's. This was a pain b/c I had to go to the vet's every day for "visitation." it would be near closing time so the vet would let me take the dogs out & spend some time brushing them & loving on them for about 20 mins before they had to go back to their concrete kennels.

I eventually started paying married people to "rent" their backyards since single airmen have to live in dorms where pets are not allowed. This was a bad thing since one couple who I paid to watch my Chow mix got attached to him while I was sent to the mid-east. I even had to go get the SPs when I returned so I could get my dog b/c they refused to give him back to me! My Chow meanwhile was boarded at the vet's for during that time, which cost a pretty penny & he probably didn't like either.

Later on I had my fiancee take care of the dogs (he was an NCO who could live off base) & my Chow tried to bite him several times even going so far as to chase him down the hall until he found a metal handled broom to keep the dog off him with. So, needless to say, we had to have him PTS. After we had him PTS I found out he bit 5 people while my parents were keeping him!

My Chow mix had to go back to my parents after my commander forbade me to have any more dogs.

This was my experience with dogs in the military. But I was a single airman, so it was harder for my dogs & I. However, married people's pets don't seem to have it so hot either - there are ads at the vet offices & in the paper all the time for dogs "free to good home" b/c their family cannot take them to their new base when they PCS.

Blessings ...