5 Things You Should Know About PCSing With Pets

PCSing can be a stressful time of any military personnel's life. Relocating with a family and pets often adds to that stress. Here are four things you should know about relocating with your family and pet.

1. Are You Married or Single?

Married military personnel have more options when it comes to PCSing. In most cases, your pets are included as a dependent and everyone in the family moves together. This means that you simply need to notify the right officers and make proper arrangements for your pets to be moved with the family. However, it can also be really difficult to get into family housing. In some cases, it can take a year to get in, which means you'll have to find a pet-friendly rental somewhere in Colorado Springs, that's ideally close to your base.

For single military personnel, it's often common to move to the barracks, which does not allow pets. In these cases, you have numerous options such as leaving your pets with family, friends, foster care, no-kill shelters, and more.

2. You Need to Make the Arrangements

All flight arrangements such as booking the airline and coordinating your pet's travel must be done through you. This is not part of any services offered during a military relocation. This means you will be responsible for paying for the ticket and organizing the travel from start to finish.

You should also consider what will happen if your new home is not ready right away. In many cases, military families must stay in a hotel for a few days or weeks while their new home is getting ready to live in. Many hotels offer pet accommodation, however, this must be confirmed before you get there.

3. Consider Other Pet Health Issues

When moving with pets you must also look into any vaccination or other health-related certificates needed. Although your pet may be perfectly healthy, some states require different certifications and permits for having a pet. You must also consider any Breed Specific Legislation in the new area you are moving. For example, some areas prohibit the ownership of certain dog breeds.

If traveling overseas, you must also respect quarantine issues. In Europe, the pet must have the appropriate vet documents and paperwork to enter. Some European countries require quarantine while others do not. Other overseas destinations require specific vaccinations, veterinary paperwork, and quarantine. Make sure you know the rules before relocating with pets.

4. How to Find Pet Friendly Rentals

While purchasing a home is an option for some, renting may be necessary if someone will only be staying in a location temporarily or simply because it better fits their current financial plans. Finding pet friendly rentals is not as difficult as some may think. Almost every rental site will have a way to filter rentals to only show those options which are pet friendly. If your pet is small, the potential landlord may not require a deposit, Doing this will give a searcher of the homes or apartments you should begin to research further.

When talking with the landlord or management company about renting, prospective tenants should always be upfront about their pet situation. There may be an additional cost, but a resident who is honest about having pets will protect themselves from getting in a bad situation later down the road, and they are assured to get into a home that will be accommodating to their pets.

5. What About Old or Sick Pets?

Sometimes your pet may be too old or sick to relocate. While this is a sad reality for many people, there are options for military personnel to make sure their pet is in good hands. Rehoming the animal rather than moving with it is a better option. Other than leaving the animal with family, you can also look into reputable organizations such as Guardian Angels for Soldiers' Pet, Operation Noble Foster for cats only, Dogs on Deployment, Foster Military Pets, and NetPets.

For more information on making the PCS transition as smooth as possible and for help relocating to Colorado Springs, call Military Home Search today at 719-338-7294 or toll-free at 800-205-6170.