Author’s note: I am not a representative of Dogs on Deployment and information listed in this post is solely my opinion.

We lost our beloved 90-pound lap dog last August, just one week after learning we’d be PCSing. We were crushed by the unexpected turn of events in his health that led us to have to make a very difficult decision. Our son was heartbroken. We were leaving the only home he has known, along with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins…and now our dog, too.

My husband’s orders were only for a year, with the potential to be extended, but overall, we were heading into at least one year of upheaval and decided that adding a dog to our chaos wasn’t an option—at least not until we were more settled.

We began petsitting to fill the void.

I have a great deal of experience petsitting. As a child, I was the go-to petsitter in our big country neighborhood. I had one neighbor whose cats required specialized canned cat food and tropical fish that needed to be hand-fed. I cared for a neighbor’s horse when his family traveled.

I even cared for another neighbor’s sheep, chickens, geese, and garden when he took an annual fishing trip. He gave me a pet goat in gratitude.

We dipped our toes into military pet sitting last November.

One of my husband’s soldiers needed someone to watch her two dogs. She was having a difficult time finding someone to watch them because they were a bit of a handful. My husband assured her that we were the perfect fit.

And we were.

When a milspouse posted a call for pet sitting on a local milspouse Facebook group, I jumped at the opportunity. I was introduced to the non-profit organization: Dogs on Deployment.

Dogs on Deployment matches volunteer boarders with military members in need of boarding during military commitments. There are some specifications—this is not a vacation or personal travel boarding program, and you must provide orders and proper documentation for proof of military service.

Eligible service obligations include, but are not limited to deployment, command training, official military travel required by command, PCS (short-term and long-term options), and a few other situations as outlined in the terms of use.

Volunteering is easy.

To join, you answer a question, “Are you a military pet owner in need of boarding or a volunteer boarder?” and then read the terms of use closely. It will help you understand how the organization works.

Once you register, the next steps are to fill out a simple profile and take a short quiz. If you live near a military installation, you’ll likely be able to find pets in need right away. Start perusing potential pets and message a military owner immediately.

Not a dog person? There are other pets in need of boarding, too.

We are currently volunteer hosting a dream pup. She fits perfectly into our family. I take photos daily and share them with her owner. Her food, treats, toys, and medical care are covered by the military owner. There is no additional financial burden on us, but we’ve been known to splurge on a treat or toy because we enjoy it!

Dogs on Deployment has allowed us to enjoy having a dog as a part of our family while also helping out a fellow soldier. As with most pets, somehow, we always seem to gain more from having them in our lives.