Family pets are heartwarming, but they go beyond the simple joys for military families. For military families, a pet is an anchor when we’re floating in the unknown, and a companion when our service member leaves again.
They represent a constant when so much is changing, and they emanate a calmness that cuts through all the chaos. Their “ignorance is bliss” demeanor is a continual reminder that it doesn’t matter what life — or the government — throws at us, we are never alone in handling it and trudging through it. We cherish our pets and what they provide so much that many military families pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to move them from duty station to duty station. Pets can make military housing into a military home.
Waffles
We found a spunky little ball of fluff called Andy on a resale site in Okinawa, Japan. Once meeting him, Andy quickly became Waffles, a name that better fit his outgoing and goofy personality. If you met him, you knew there was no better epithet! He was our first pet as a military family, and we made it official by adding Waffles to our orders. Waffles marked not only the start of our little family but of our military life.
From the beginning, Waffles went where we went, following the orders of the government. He was adored and fiercely loved by the people of Okinawa, and when he made his U.S. debut in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a few years later, they loved him there, too. Then, because conquering two countries with love isn’t enough for a golden retriever, we hopped on another international flight to England, where we lived next to a field full of less-than-thrilled sheep. Waffles was the epitome of what military life looks like: a continuous cycle of packing, traveling, adjusting, making new friends, and the ups and downs in between.
While in Waffles’ mind he was a lap dog, in reality he was a giant fluffball built like a tank; to this day I’ve never seen a bigger golden retriever! He loved affection and gave the best hugs in return, but he especially loved being right on top of you (literally). He was famous for his happy-go-lucky spirit and notorious for eating anything from boot socks to 100 Japanese yen.
Saying goodbye
In May 2024, after 11 years together, we had to make the difficult decision to put our fur baby to rest. It was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do as a family. He had welcomed all of our babies home from the hospital, and he was a source of comfort through life changes, struggles, long nights, fights, deployments and TDYs.
The first time grief hit me hard was when my husband, Zach, left a month after we lost Waffles. I realized I’d never not had him to keep me company; Zach was gone again, and now so was Waffles. The house was too quiet and too still, and everything I was feeling felt heavier. His absence and impact on our mental health was excruciatingly obvious.
Life without Waffles has been difficult for our whole family, but it was more challenging during my husband’s nine-month pilot training. Our kids continue to include Waffles in our family, and who can blame them? In their little minds — and ours — Waffles will always be with us.
The company of a military pet, of any pet, is rooted in a pure and unconditional love that covers you like a blanket and affects so many aspects of an unpredictable and crazy life. Our pets make this adventure a little more bearable … even when they eat your socks.
