FARMINGTON -- Farmington firefighters now have a new tool to save lives: pet masks. Last month, the Best Friends Mountain View Kennel of Avon donated six sets of special pet-resuscitation masks to the Farmington Fire Department.
"We’re delighted to present these masks to the Farmington Fire Department," said Jen Tobias, manager at the Best Friends Kennel. "We have many clients who live in this community and we know that many other families here have pets who could suffer from smoke inhalation during a fire. We would like to see many more fire departments carry this equipment."
Human oxygen masks don’t fit over the noses and mouths of household animals, which has left many pets dead from smoke inhalation. Each set of masks donated contains three special-design masks that supply oxygen to dogs and cats who suffer from smoke inhalation during a fire. These masks come in three sizes: one for large dogs, one for small dogs and one for cats.
The masks were donated as a part of the "Cause for Paws" program. In July 2004, the Best Friends organization donated 15 masks to the North Plainsfield Fire Department in New Jersey. After receiving a strong, positive feedback from the community, the "Cause for Paws" program was established to help protect local pets.
After establishing the "Cause for Paws" program, Best Friends Pet-Care Co. developed a program to raise funds throughout the United States. The funds are collected through a matching program: For every dollar donated to a local fire department within 15 miles of a Best Friends location, the company will also donate $1. For departments up to 30 miles away from the company location, Best Friends will donate 50 cents for every dollar donated.
"Since it began [donating masks] in December, the Best Friends Cause for Paws Campaign has raised enough funds to donate more than 95 sets of pet masks to firefighters in 23 Connecticut towns," said Barbara Bangser, a representative of the Cause for Paws program.
Bangser also explained the masks have already been put to good use. According to Bangser, during the month of March the Hamden Fire Department employed the masks to save a cat and the Prospect Fire Department used the masks to rescue a Yorkshire terrier. In Old Saybrook, firefighters were able to use the masks to save eight cats during a house fire.
Since its establishment, the "Cause for Paws" program has donated more than 1,500 masks in 10states. For more information about the "Cause for Paws" rescue mask program, visit the Best Friends Web site:
www.bestfriendspetcare.com.
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