Military PCS Pet Relocation Guide

We pick up and deliver at every major US military installation that's open to our drivers through normal gate access procedures. That includes all the Army's big posts (Fort Liberty, Fort Cavazos, Fort Bliss, Fort Moore, Fort Stewart, Fort Campbell, Fort Carson, Fort Hood's replacement), Marine Corps installations (Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton, MCAS Miramar, MCAS New River, MCAS Cherry Point), Navy bases (Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Norfolk, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Pensacola, Corpus Christi), Air Force bases (Travis, Wright-Patterson, Seymour Johnson, MacDill, Scott, Robins, Moody, Joint Base Andrews), Coast Guard (Base Elizabeth City), and Joint Base San Antonio across services.

For smaller installations, Reserve centers, and Guard bases, we handle those too — just tell us the base name in the quote and we'll confirm driver access procedures. A few extremely restricted facilities (training areas, some intelligence posts) require different logistics; we'll tell you honestly if that's your situation.

A PCS pet move starts with your orders. You know the base you're leaving, the base you're going to, and roughly when. Request a quote with that info — even approximate dates work. We'll review your request and email you an itemized quote built around your orders.

Dates can shift after booking. They always shift after booking. Tell us in writing as soon as you know: a date change more than 72 hours before pickup is free when a driver is available for the new date. If orders change entirely and the destination base is new, that's a re-quote for the new route, not a penalty.

On moving day, the driver picks up at your current base housing, a local off-base residence, or the base gate (depending on base policy and your preference). GPS tracking starts, your pet is secured in a climate-controlled cabin, and the trip is underway. Cross-country trips typically take 3–4 days: a driver covers about 800–1,000 miles a day, weather permitting.

Delivery is at your new base. Same options — on-base housing, off-base address, or base gate. If the military has you in temporary quarters while you get settled, we can deliver to temporary housing too. Just tell us in the quote or update us before delivery.

PAX operates in the continental United States. For PCS moves to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Germany, Japan, Korea, the UK, and other OCONUS destinations, we can't complete the transport ourselves. What we can do: get your pet to the departure airport (usually Seattle-Tacoma, Baltimore-Washington, Norfolk, or Dover for Patriot Express routes), or refer you to a vetted OCONUS partner for the international leg.

For Hawaii specifically, there's a rabies quarantine protocol that requires advance planning — FAVN blood test, waiting period, specific paperwork. We can handle the CONUS-to-departure-airport leg and help you coordinate the rest. For other OCONUS destinations, USAPHC and APHIS have country-specific requirements that we'll walk you through if you're coordinating the trip yourself.

Patriot Express (the military passenger/pet charter) is the most common OCONUS routing. It has its own booking process through your transportation office, separate from what PAX handles. We can coordinate ground transport to the Patriot Express departure airport if that's useful.

PCS pet transport costs are potentially tax-deductible as part of the moving expense deduction for active-duty military. IRS Publication 521 covers the details — generally, active-duty service members on a permanent change of station can deduct reasonable pet transportation costs as part of their allowable moving expenses, subject to certain conditions.

This isn't tax advice. We're a pet transport company, not accountants. But we provide itemized receipts on every trip that break out the transport cost and any add-ons — which is the format your tax preparer or JAG financial counselor will want. Keep the receipt. Your finance office can advise on whether your specific move qualifies.

For veterans (not on active duty at the time of move), the moving expense deduction works differently. Our itemized receipts still help, but the deductibility question is different. Again, talk to your tax preparer.

Working dogs: if you're moving a personally-owned dog who's also a service animal, therapy dog, or retired military working dog, tell us. Documentation requirements can vary, and some dogs need special handling — MWDs often have very different experiences of crates than family pets.

Multiple pets: military families often have 2-5 animals (dog, cat, maybe a bird or small mammal). We handle multi-pet households regularly. Bonded pairs can often ride in the same vehicle with appropriate crate separation; unbonded or mixed-species combinations may need separate vehicles or dedicated trip slots.

Short-notice PCS (orders dropped 10 days out): possible, especially in busy PCS season. Contact us immediately when you know — the sooner we're in the dispatch queue, the better the driver match. A pickup less than 7 days after your request normally carries a rush fee; for PCS moves we can waive it case by case, and either way we still need driver availability.

Deployments: if you're deploying and need to move your pet to a family member's home or to a Dogs on Deployment foster, we can help coordinate. Dogs on Deployment has resources we sometimes partner with for free pet fostering during deployment.