Deployment stress includes what to do with pets

Group works to minimize furry war casualties
January 15, 2012 5:42 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
During a recent large deployment from Camp Lejeune, the Onslow County Animal Shelter received 22 newly homeless cats and dogs. But one new organization is working to minimize the furry casualties of war.

Marine 2nd Lt. Alisa Sieber-Johnson and her husband, Navy Lt. Shawn Johnson, had the idea to start Dogs on Deployment after the couple had a crisis situation familiar to many military couples: Sieber-Johnson, who is now at training in Pensacola, Fla., received orders to Virginia for six months, where she was expected to live in a military barracks that did not permit pets. With Johnson deployed during that time, they had nowhere to keep their Australian Shepherd, J.D.

“We looked into boarding with a professional boarder,” Sieber-Johnson said. “For six months, we’re talking $1,000 a month. It was just not feasible.”

Finally, the couple found distant relatives who were willing to take in their dog, and the idea for a network of volunteer pet boarders for deployed troops was born.

Dogs on Deployment, which launched in June, is a nonprofit networking site focused on connecting troops in need with willing boarders. There are no requirements to volunteer as a boarder, though the organization provides a contract for boarders to sign, and owners are expected to use their own judgment to find a good home for their pet.
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