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Post by shilohismygirl on Jan 21, 2011 18:42:30 GMT -5
My husband is seriously thinking about going into the Navy, and he may sign up soon. We have an appointment to talk to the recruiter on Monday, so I will be taking a list of questions to ask about all things I am unsure about. Do you guys know anyone or are you yourselves families in the military that also take care of ferrets? I am aware of the fact that most bases do not allow them (depending on the base), but that since we are married, we will be eligible for a housing allowance so that I can live off base wherever he is stationed after basic training. I am excited at the change of pace that will inevitably occur, but I want to keep my little beggars in mind while doing all of this stuff.
1. My husband, though not the primary caregiver, is pretty bonded with all of our ferrets. I am sure that the ferrets will miss him throughout his absence, but what do I do to relieve that anxiousness? Rescue remedy will help at times, but are there other things besides giving them extra love and one on one playtime with me that will help them to settle into this change.
2. Inevitably, there will be a move involved. What are your recomendations for travel? What kind of cage is best? I know I will need harnesses for rest stops so that they can stretch and play a bit but what else should I consider? Will Rescue Remedy help with the traveling anxiety? I know I should also be aware of hotels and pets as well as paperwork for vaccines and stuff on hand. What am I missing?
3. Do you guys have any general advice? Stuff I'm just not thinking of? Any questions I should ask when meeting with the recruiter?
Thank you guys so much. I realize it is early yet to worry about every detail, but it is never too early to consider the welfare of a pet in a life decision.
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Post by novemberkris on Jan 21, 2011 21:29:59 GMT -5
About travelling, if you can take your ferts on trips ahead of time, do it! When Paulie was a kit I rotated trips to the vet with trips to visit family or my boyfriend when he lived in Boston. Paulie learned that though the car sometimes led to that pokey vet hooman, more often than not it led to new feet to sniff, new boots to steal, or a familiar face or two he hadn't seen in a while (which of course, was exciting). He is a great car traveler. He sleeps most of the ride. Unfortunately, he has travelled enough now he wakes up mid trip back to Ohio and wants to explore the car ... What can you do? Point being, if you can do some shorter trips with the ferrets to places other than the vet you can find out the habits of them in the car and know which ones will be most stressed. Like I said, I'm lucky, Paulie's a chill fert and likes the car. Chances are you'll have a couple chill folks, but pre-trips will definitely help everyone be prepared.
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Post by Heather on Jan 21, 2011 22:06:22 GMT -5
My guys love traveling. If you start the whole traveling thing asap, they will just look at it as being another car ride. Ferrets are all about adventure. As long as they have their people with them, they love it and it's just another of life's adventures for them. ciao
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Post by justahannah on Jan 22, 2011 3:24:06 GMT -5
My husband's in the Army...honestly, we never looked at on-base housing even before we got the pets. His commute would have been way shorter but he didn't want to live right where he worked, and I wanted to be closer to my college/didn't want to fraternize with other military wives all the time (some people consider that a perk, they can be a good support group during deployments but I like my space). The housing allowance is adjusted for the area you'll be living in, so it's sure to be reasonable, and if you start scoping out pet-friendly rentals the moment you hear a rumour you'll be going somewhere specific, that will help...sometimes they'll thingy you around for a while before a move and then keep you in the same spot anyway, and sometimes you get very short notice and it really happens. Keep a savings account going just for 1st/last months rent and a pet deposit so you don't have to settle for a cheaper place where they won't allow your ferts...it always breaks my heart to see all the ads here with Ft. Lewis deployments that have to find homes or their furkids because they didn't have a backup plan ready. We got the ferts after his basic training/AIT, but he was deployed to Iraq for a year...similar to you, I'm the primary care giver but they love on him just as much. The first couple weeks they'd search for him (and his boots!), but they definitely got extra love from me...without Jeremiah home, I had a lot more to give and I needed the comfort too. Even after a year they still remembered him though...we got home from the airport and they were on him like he'd been doused in ferretone and Mokkun would NOT let him out of his sight for weeks. One thing I would recommend is NOT getting new fuzz while he's gone. It's like pudding...it can't fill the emptiness inside, but it'll help . Until you get a 3am call from Iraq, mention you couldn't resist a sweet little face, and it turns into a fight because he likes to be involved in the pet decisions too. When he left we had 2, and he came back to 4. Tadakichi (#3) was the one I couldn't resist, Ovana (#4 and my adrenal girl) I emailed him pictures of and let him be a bleeding heart with me, but sometimes I think there's still a little resentment about being left out, and he let me know four was too many...he agreed to Ovana because her situation called for it, but her bathroom habits were never great and her lupron was pretty spendy and I think he would have rather us taken her to the nice no-kill shelter near us where she might have been fostered...but once I get involved with an animal, I have a hard time letting go. Fortunately (for me) I haven't had to worry about travel...I have a pre-existing medical condition so one of Jeremiah's stipulations before signing on was that I would be permanently posted at Fort Lewis since it's the base nearest our families (at 4 hours), and they wanted him bad enough (really great ASVAB scores and Secret clearance clean background), they agreed to it. Granted, they can still ship him out, but this is where he always returns. I hold down the fort and go to school here. I agree with the others on getting the kids used to travel though, even short trips...I keep a bunch of fleece in the cat carrier and leave it open all the time so they use it like a sleeping den, and a few times a week I'll take them out to the park in it. It's to the point if they hear my keys, they run for the carrier and wait for me to take them out . Another big thing is recruiters are there to sell the service to you and are notorious for promising things they can't really give you...they're nice enough, but doing their job. Make sure absolutely everything is in writing so if you have to fight for it later, you have something to back it up. This holds true through your service time too...get a copy of everything because it's very easy for promises to be forgotten with the sheer numbers of people in the forces. Even if you husband qualifies for a certain MOS and they promise him that job, if it turns out he's needed elsewhere they can make him do that....they always say you're a soldier first, your MOS second. Also, if they promise him a job but his background check shows up something negative, they can drop him down to something less secure that he didn't agree to do. That's how my dad ended up doing ship maintenance instead of satellite communications back in the 70's. I can't think of anything else off the top of my head... Edit: LOL I didn't say "thingy" above, but it does crack me up.
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Post by mjohn143 on Jan 22, 2011 8:19:38 GMT -5
Get in writing you can't move to California Tell them you are have an illness that requires owning ferrets!!
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Post by shilohismygirl on Jan 22, 2011 8:45:11 GMT -5
Thank you guys very much for the advice! It's a little bit scary, thinking all of this stuff-but my goal is to make sure our ferret savings in all of this is a fair amount, so that we never have to get rid of our fuzz, because I won't. I am planning on getting everything I can in writing, especially things pertaining to anything that will affect our life with the fuzzies. I really need to get them traveling as much as possible now-just so they get used to moving around if need be.Seriously, Justhannah, thank you for the tips, that's exactly the kind of advice I need.
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Post by novemberkris on Jan 22, 2011 8:48:23 GMT -5
Yeah, know your Ferret Free Zones. I believe they are still illegal in Hawaii too and the navy definitely has a base there.
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Post by justahannah on Jan 22, 2011 9:15:42 GMT -5
With the medical excuse stuff, they won't do it if you don't have documentation...I don't remember how much, but in my case I've had three different doctors and over 3 months hospitalized because of it a couple years before he joined, so we were able to get a medical waiver stating it's necessary for me to be near family in case it flares up while he's deployed. It's been a few years (and wasn't so applicable to us), but if I remember right they'll let you pick your top three stations and do try to stick with that list...but if he's really needed somewhere else, it isn't guaranteed.
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Post by katt on Jan 22, 2011 13:19:44 GMT -5
Ok so I am not "in" the military, but I grew up as an Army Bratt. I have never known anything other than the military lifestyle. Well, until I started college. And I HATED it. Want to keep your ferrets? Good luck! I don't want to be a downer but while it is possible, it will be really difficult and if they tell you you are moving to California? Tough. You are moving to California. Ok, so it is possible to sneak them in...but what happens when your husband - esp if he is considering Navy, gets stationed in Hawaii? What would you do then? Some ranks more than others get a little say in where they go, but not much. And if they tell you that you are going somewhere, you are going there. I had to say goodbye to countless loved pets - some when we went overseas, others when they were too old etc to make a long trip. :,( I don't know what your long term plan is either, but if you plan on having kids? As a kid that grew up going to 11 different schools and moving from place to place to place... advise against having kids in the military. At least not until he is about to get out (they will pay for your medical - the one GREAT perk about military life) OR you have a very stable station. (HA!) Am I bitter? Maybe. lol I hated moving around so much with a passion. I think you can make it work, but honestly you are running a massive risk of losing your ferrets. If you get stationed in Hawaii, Overseas, etc what will you do? You can't say No - they Own you. You are typically stationed in a place for 1-3 years. Even if you could bring them with you on the plane to Europe, would they be able to handle the plane trip and the quarantine? I know that you guys will do what you can, plan ahead and cover all of your bases, and fight tooth and nail to keep your babies. But I will never forget how torn I was to say goodbye to my beloved Baby, the Sheltie I grew up with from age 1, because she was too old to make the long trip when we got re-stationed. Or when my beautiful Chinchillas died from heat stroke in the car when we had to drive across the country in the middle of a serious heat wave. And then working babysitting and working my butt off for months to earn money to buy another chin, only to then have to give her away when we got stationed in Germany. It is Hard to keep your pets in the military. For some it is doable, but sometimes you have no options available. I pray that, if your husband does join the Navy, you will not be faced with such a situation. Again, not trying to be a downer, but you need to know (IMO) what the possibilities are, and that sometimes there's just no choice when it comes to pets.
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