Orders can arrive with little warning, and a pet needs a plan as fast as the packing list.
What it means
A TDY differs from a PCS because the service member returns to the same duty station afterward. The length can be a few days or several months. Typical reasons are technical schools, exercises, conferences and training courses. Because the family stays put, boarding is often the answer for a pet when no one is home to care for it.
Planning pet care for TDY
Start with the dates on the orders and add a cushion for changes. Decide who feeds, walks or visits if a pet stays home, and compare with a kennel stay for any gap in coverage. For dogs, a stay of 14 or more nights is priced at the same reduced rate as the military line, which is $47, $53 and $65 by class. For cats, the rate is $35 a night.
Making the booking simple
Keep vaccine records current through the end date, with a margin if orders may stretch. Upload them to your online account. Complete the boarding agreement once, and mark the military box. Name an emergency contact who is not traveling with you and who can pick up your pet if dates shift. Call 707-678-6600 if orders change; a quick call helps the staff plan runs.
If the dates move
Late returns happen. The agreement treats a pet as abandoned if it is unclaimed 10 days after the pick-up date with no contact, so call the kennel when plans change, and tell your contact. Stays beyond four weeks use a card on file charged every two weeks in advance. The holiday deposit applies to stays that begin near a major holiday. For the reading list, see TDY, schools and basic training, PCS and deployment and long-term boarding.
Packing for a short stay
Most TDY stays are simple: your pet's usual food in the original bag with amounts in cups, a toy that is not the favorite, current records and any medication. Leave the leash, bowl and bed at home; the kennel supplies bowls, leashes and balls, and a Kuranda bed in every run. If your pet takes medication, write the schedule down. Medications are given at no extra charge.