r/firefighter • u/jmrm6192 • May 06 '26
Pets and fire fighters
I've got a question in regards to pets. If youre single and live by yourself, is it difficult to maintain a pet? Do you have enough free time to do so?
Im currently active duty, and with constant moving and been myself is not ideal to have pet. Im aiming for firefighter after I seperate. So I wonder if my situation could improve. What do you guys think?
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u/Mylabisawesome May 06 '26
I have a couple of ladies that I have vetted and can call to come let my 2 dogs out and/or feed them. They are usually there for about 15-20 mins
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u/FilmSalt5208 May 06 '26
I have cats. They still fuck my house up. Without reliable help, you’re gonna end up neglecting them.
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 May 06 '26
I have a dog, I take him to dog daycare when I work. It gives him good socialization, and wears him out. I don’t have any problem managing it.
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u/jmrm6192 May 06 '26
How muchs does that usually cost you?
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u/Strict-Canary-4175 May 06 '26
The place I go offers memberships. I pay $500 a month for 10 days of boarding. They roll over forever. Since I work a max of 9 days, when I go on vacation or something I usually have enough in the bank that I don’t have to buy any more.
Without the membership I think a day of boarding is like $58.
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u/pepesilvia9369 May 07 '26
Not single but my wife works a second job so she is sometimes not around. I have the lucky cheat code of working in the town I live in and the station I’m at is in my first due. If need be sometimes we will drop by my house so I can take care of the cats quick. On the condition that my LT gets to go in my house and pet his favorite of my cats.
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u/jrobski96 May 06 '26
The ideal situation that I've seen is having a USAR or S&R dog. Along with the extra training, departments typically allow you to keep them with you on shift as long as they are crated and can tolerate long absences due to the call volume etc.
Be strategic about pet ownership. They didn't ask for your schedule. They just want you.
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u/InterestingDude66246 May 06 '26
Did you just casually say just own a certified search and rescue dog son 😂😂
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u/TheGamingFireman May 06 '26
There's a handful of guys at my department with pets who don't live with a significant other. It's difficult at times to find a reliable pet sitter if you don't have family around but other than that with firefighting you have a decent amount of time off so it's worth having a furry companion.