By Christie Walton
Reposted from Fox 4 News
SAN DIEGO, CA — Many members of the military have to abandon their pets when they are deployed overseas. Several groups in California are trying to help ease that burden.
“I remember it 25 years ago, you could tell when there was a large deployment because cities like Oceanside, and Vista and Carlsbad would suddenly have there were a lot of dogs on the street,†said John Van Zante with the Rancho Coastal Humane Society.
Even though the situation has improved, it’s still a big problem.
“Someone’s deployed so they don’t know what to do,†he said. “Basically they set their dog or cat out on the way out the door.â€
Van Zante said some military members will show up the day before deployment and his organization always tries to help.
Alisa Johnson faced a similar situation when she lived on base and her husband was deployed early. That experience led her to start Dogs on Deployment.
“I do think the military should have more pet support,†Johnson said.
The group connects military pet owners with temporary foster parents. The pet owner pays with their own money.
“As a military member we should be leading the moral standards to American society,†she said.
