KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- When owning a pet on Okinawa as a U.S. service member, there are a number of things people should consider in order to ensure the happiness of their pets like living conditions and diet.

However, the main thing that should be in the mind of every military pet owner are accommodations during a deployment and what to do when moving to another base, even if it means finding their pet another home.

"If you have a single, active duty, SOFA-status person who has a pet, they need to get themselves a backup plan where a friend or coworker can keep their pet [while they're away]," said Tracy Perez, 18th Force Support Squadron's Karing Kennels manager.

Mrs. Perez said owners should try finding another home for their pet before leaving it with Karing Kennels, a pet adoption service on-island. Any backup plan for pets shouldn't just include turning them in to Karing Kennels, because though the Kennels is a service for service members on the island, it should be a last resort for pets.

"It's better [to search for another home first] because then they can screen the people they're looking at and get a better feel for the person," Mrs. Perez said. "Before people get a pet, they need to ask if they have everything required to keep it. Sometimes people get rid of their pets just because they don't have the money or the time to take care of them, but that should be first on their mind. They've got to get into the thought of having a pet by asking themselves essential pet-ownership questions like 'can I afford the pet or give it the time it needs?'. "

Lisa Sanchez, Karing Kennels operations assistant, said pets should be treated more like how children would be treated.

"Some people just don't know what they should because they don't look, they don't research, and they don't ask questions," said Mrs. Sanchez. "If you're going to own a pet but you don't have the money to spay or neuter it, how are you going to have the money to do something if it has a medical emergency? You can't just pay $30 a month for dog food and think that's going to get by. It's like taking on a child."

Mrs. Perez said out of the nearly 1,100 pets that pass through Karing Kennels each year, about 15 percent of the animals at the Karing Kennels adoption center are "strays" that were picked up on-base. Because it's a requirement for Status of Forces Agreement members to have their pets microchipped, the first step taken by the Kennels once a stray is found is to scan for the device.

If a chip is found and the owner hasn't contacted anyone about a missing pet, the on-file owner is contacted and could face hefty fines. However, one of the largest problems with the process is determining whether the owner filed a "transfer of ownership" when they found the pet a new home.

"Though we aren't military-funded, we still follow the different Air Force Instructions and guidelines set down for SOFA-status pet owners," said Mrs. Perez. "People need to take steps to educate themselves on their different requirements as pet owners, especially if transferring ownership."

Though pets can get expensive, it shouldn't deter single service members from having one. One of the things that can help single, deploying service members with pets is the hefty price cut to "board" the animal for a period through the Kennels boarding facility.

Mrs. Perez warned that with the rise in temperature that the summer brings, pet owners should remember that their animals should not be left outside for an extended amount of time.

"There really is no such thing as an outdoor pet on Okinawa," Mrs. Perez added. "With the intense heat and dangerous animals like the habu snake, there is too much that can hurt pets outside."

For more information about pet ownership on Okinawa, visit www.kadenaforcesupport.com/pets.html.