Sometimes, people that stumble upon Dogs on Deployment are so grateful, that they can’t help but become volunteers and advocates for our mission. This is how we ended up with two wonderful volunteers, Megan Hibbs and Anthony Vega, an engaged couple who found themselves desperate to find temporary care for their Shepard/Lab mix, Milo.
Anthony, serving in the Navy, had just been promoted to Chief Petty Officer (E7). His training meant very long days, sometimes up to 19 hours. Meanwhile, Megan was planning a move from their Virginia home to start school in Wisconsin, in the fall.
Anthony and Megan had been together, practically since their first date, after being stationed together aboard the USS Frank in Guam, in 2007. Now that they were planning a brief time apart, they faced the challenge of finding someone to look after Milo.
An online search yielded the answer to all their troubles: Dogs on Deployment. They hadn’t heard of the organization before, but decided to take a chance and they published Milo’s profile on the website.
Megan said that she was floored by the outpouring of support they received when Milo’s profile quickly had over 1,800 shares on Facebook. Soon enough, they heard from a military family in the area and they set up a meeting at a local park with Mike and Jenna Turner.
The meeting went perfectly. The Turner’s children fell in love with Milo, and Megan said she was happy to see that Milo would get extra exercise playing with the Turner’s other two dogs. A week later, Megan and Antony were dropping off Milo, happy they had found the perfect way to take care of Milo, but sad to see him go.
A year later, Megan and Anthony are happily reunited, living together in Hampton, Virginia with Milo. Now, they are both volunteers with Dogs on Deployment. “We thought it was wonderful how many people reached out to us – the outpouring of support was amazing. We wanted to give back to the organization so we decided to become volunteers,” Megan said.
She added that they also volunteer with a rescue organization and know all too well how many people aren’t aware that there is an alternative to losing their dogs when they are deployed and she wants to get the word out.
Megan added, “We also love that military members have one less thing to worry about before, during, and after their deployment, and that they are able to come home to a pet who was loved and cared for while they were unable to. We also love meeting new people who have a similar passion and a love for animals, and most importantly, those who want to help our military members.”
