Dana Dunne|

Dana Dunne

Animal Care Specialist and Assistant Marketing Director

Service Member's Branch - Marine Corps

Service Member's Status - Retiree - 30 years

What has been your military spouse career/entrepreneur journey so far?

When my husband was active duty I was primarily a SAHM. When they were older I substitute taught and volunteered at The Whistle Stop aboard Cherry Point every time we were stationed there. I have been working at the Reindeer Farm in Palmer, Alaska for the last 2.5 years.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dana Dunne. I am living my best life in Alaska. I have two children and one son-in-law. I have been married to my Marine for 32 years.

Tell us about a "typical" day in your professional life.

Ha, my day is unlike most. I start the day checking on the animals around the farm. We have over 140 reindeer, moose, bison, yaks, alpaca, and 30 more species. Once I know everyone looks good, I will take guests on a guided tour of the farm. After that, I spend the day helping the staff. We take care of the needs of the animals. That can range from trimming reindeer hooves, medical care, building fences or even making reindeer fly to other locations around the world. You never know where the day will go.

If you've been stationed overseas, how did this affect your career and or business?

We were stationed overseas two different times as PEP with foreign services. Both times I continued to work in an adaptive therapy capacity. Helping ambulatory and nonambulatory children in a hippotherapy program with horses.

What has been your biggest military spouse career struggle and how did you overcome it?

I've never looked at anything as a struggle. I've looked at every hardship as a time to grow, learn and reinvent certain parts of myself.

What role did mentors and sponsors play in your journey?

I have a few role models who taught me how to be Semper Gumby and to embrace the changes.

How does your career path differ from what you imagined for yourself?

I wanted to be a zoologist when I was younger. It took me a little longer to get there but I have enjoyed the journey, experiences, and friendships I have made along the way.

How did military life (PCSing, deployments, trainings, etc) factor into your career decisions?

The experience made me who I am today. Live your best life today because tomorrow isn't a guarantee.

If you and/or your spouse have transitioned from active duty to your current status, what resource or tool did you find to be the most helpful?

TAPS and social media groups were very helpful answering questions!

Final word: what are your top tips for other military spouses about navigating a career within the military lifestyle?

My best advice is to not expect a marriage to be 50/50. The goal is to be 100% as a couple. Sometimes one of you can/has to handle 80% of the responsibilities while the other person may only have 20% due to other obligations. This life is not for everyone and that is okay too. A person has to choose if they are going to be happy. Once they make that choice, figure out what you need to do to get there. Don't live your life angry because your life doesn't look like everyone else's.

Listen to an interview with Dana
to hear more about her story.

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