Pet Advocacy Groups Call for Ending Military Breed Bans and a Consistent Pet Policy

June 21, 2012

Dogs on Deployment and Hawaii Military Pets have teamed up to ask the Department of Defense to implement a military-wide standardized pet policy.

Currently, military pet policies such as breed bans and numerical limits are not consistent by service or duty station, causing service members to relinquish animals. This creates an additional burden on animal shelters and rescues, as well as undue emotional stress on military personnel forced to relinquish their pets, animals that are cherished members of their family.

“Service members should never have to choose between their family pet and serving at their next duty station. Every day, I talk to families affected by these harmful policies and it’s time for that to end,” said Alisa Johnson, president of not-for-profit Dogs on Deployment, which links foster pet families to help deploying service members.

The most effective solution is to develop a standardized, consistent military policy for all pet owners, regardless of breed. Instead of focusing on a specific breed, the military would focus on strong enforcement of general dangerous dog policies and a robust pet education program to ensure troop’s safety and quality of life. This is a more effective and efficient solution to protecting military personnel. Additionally, the groups request a task force study the effectiveness of military housing breed bans and whether these bans have made troops safer. Consistency needs to exist in order to protect pet owner's rights and give them solid knowledge of what to expect when purchasing a new pet and moving between bases.

The groups are asking for the public to sign their petition on Change.org. Please visit our Take Action page for more information, and here to sign the petition www.change.org/petitions/standardize-military-pet-policies.

About Dogs on Deployment

Dogs on Deployment is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides an online network and resource for military members to search for volunteers who are willing to board their pets while they're on deployment or engaged in other military commitments. Dogs on Deployment also provides financial assistance to military families and promotes responsbile pet ownership through community advocacy. Dogs on Deployment serves all branches of service, nationwide and allows pets of all types to be listed. Visit www.dogsondeployment.org to learn more.

About Hawaii Military Pets

Hawaii Military Pets is a one-stop resource for all Hawaii military pet information, celebrating the bond between all animals and our Hawaii men and women in uniform. Through the resource, readers can find pet transport information, boarding and veterinarian services, information on Hawaii military pet law and more. The organization advocates for protecting animals through pet-friendly policies in state and federal governments. Hawaii Military Pets aims to build a pet-friendly military community on Oahu, committed to lifetime pet ownership. Visit www.hawaiimilitarypets.com for more information.