How Adopting a Dog has Made Me A Better Military Spouse

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #BLUESierraDelta

Meet Gatsby! I adopted Gatsby from a rescue organization way before becoming a military wife was ever on my radar. Gatsby became part of my family when I was finishing up my freshman year of college. I had just gotten out of a toxic relationship and truly felt alone. Adopting Gatsby was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Gatsby just turned ten recently and I wanted to celebrate him in some way. Gatsby has been there for me through college, bad breakups, cross country moves, bringing home my first child and so much more. He is the smartest dog I’ve ever met and filled with so much personality. We call him our resident philosopher. But one thing I never could have expected when I first adopted Gatsby was how much he would help me through the grind of military life.

As a military family, we are acutely aware of the mental and physical toll the military can take on service members and their families. That’s why I am so excited to be partnering with Blue Buffalo® for today’s post because of their partnership with Sierra Delta . Did you know that only 1 in 150 veterans in need of service dogs are currently being served? Sierra Delta’s mission is to support more veterans by partnering them with trained canine companions. By increasing access and improving efficiency, we can eliminate the critical shortage of service dogs for our military heroes and the euthanizing of large adoptable rescue dogs. Blue Buffalo® donates money to help supply service dogs to veterans. Buy any BLUE Life Protection Formula™ or BLUE Wilderness™ dry food during the month of November and Blue Buffalo® will donate $1 for every small bag of food sold, up to $275,000, to Sierra Delta Service Dogs for Heroes. As Gatsby has gotten older, we knew that switching to a high quality dog food would be beneficial for him. BLUE Life Protection Formula™ always features high quality, real meats and proteins. Additionally, we love that the BLUE Life Protection Formula™ products are made with the finest natural ingredients enhanced with vitamins and minerals. And as Gatsby gets older we can continue to rely on BLUE Life Protection Formula™ which is available in delicious dry and wet recipes plus tasty treats your dog can’t resist. Blue Buffalo® dog food is now available at Walmart! Our family regularly shops at Walmart because it is a one-stop shop for everyone in our family, including our pets. Living in a more rural part of Alaska means we have access to less variety when it comes to shopping choices and I know we can trust Walmart to get what we need whether we’re shopping in store or online.

Grab your own bag of BLUE Buffalo by clicking here!

Gatsby's Adoption Photo

Our First Photo Together

Let’s take a trip down memory lane as I tell you all about how Gatsby came to be part of our family. I had just broken up with my extremely toxic boyfriend and was feeling a sense of loss. I was still living at home at the time and desperately wanted a puppy. I needed something to do with my free time now that I was single and wasn’t in any shape to be dating. I hopped onto a pet adoption sight and would scan for puppies every day. My dad had told me that if I paid for the adoption fees, I could bring a puppy home. I was smitten when I saw the first picture of Gatsby as a tiny puppy from the adoption agency.

My dad and I made the arrangements to pick him up and drove the couple of hours to the rescue organization’s shelter. I made sure to pick up all of the puppy essentials and couldn’t wait to meet him! When we got to the shelter, a woman working there went to bring him out and to our surprise, he looked nothing like his picture. But he had the cutest little beard and I could tell he was full of personality. He even peed on me right when we met, a habit that he would continue for his puppyhood.

I remember my dad looked at me and said, “Are you sure he is what you want?” because clearly Gatsby (named Poohbear at the time) was older than the picture they had on the website. But I was already in love with him and so we signed the papers, paid the fee, and the rest is history.

How Adopting a Dog has Made Me a Better Military Spouse

I have only been a military spouse for two and a half years but Gatsby has already taught me a lot about what it takes to be a military spouse.

Military life takes patience. Patience is definitely something I could use more of these days between the ins and outs of military life and toddlerhood. Gatsby reminds me to be patient in the way he handles my son’s constant pestering or waiting to be let out or fed after Jasper. Gatsby has been teaching me patience ever since he was a puppy. Not only because of how much time and attention and training puppies require but because of his bold personality. When Gatsby was a puppy I would take him to a local park just down the road from my Dad’s house. When he was done walking he would literally flop onto the ground and I would end up tugging on the leash because I wouldn’t realize what he had done. I won’t tell you how many times I ended up carrying him back to the car. If you’re a military spouse then you know all too well the level of patience that military life requires. From changing dates to never having all of the information when you’re trying to plan, military life is full of never ending challenges that will test your patience.

Military life takes courage. Gatsby has come a long way since he was a puppy. I remember bringing him into my first college apartment and he would cry so loud because of his separation anxiety that you could hear him outside of the buildings. But we worked through that just like I’ve had to work through the feelings of dread and anxiety that come with having a spouse who is constantly leaving. There are aspects about military life I never expected before becoming a military spouse, and I can say without a doubt that it does take a lot of courage to be a military family.

Military life takes resilience. Resilience is something that the most seasoned military spouses ooze with every fiber of their being. Gatsby has shown resilience his entire life. First, being abandoned and rescued, then being adopted by me. We’ve moved countless apartments and cities and even states together. He’s been by my side through my first pregnancy, through my first year as a military spouse, and so much more. He never waivers in his loyalty to our family and is always there to brighten our days (no matter how much trouble he gets into with his ornery personality).

A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING ADOPTING A DOG AS A MILITARY SPOUSE:

-Keep good track of your vet records and make sure they’re up-to-date. This will come in handy anytime you’re PCSing.

-Utilize the military veterinarian offices if they’re available. We have had nothing but great experiences with the military vets we’ve used, and the pricing typically is better suited to military families.

-Different military installations mean different rules when it comes to how many pets you can have, breed restrictions, etc. so make sure to do your research!

ARE YOU MILITARY FAMILY OR VETERAN WHO HAS A DOG? I’D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR FUR-BABIES!