If you’ve read stories about people forced to flee a burning home with no time to search for a terrified pet–and the dog or cat is later found comatose or dead by firefighters, you can imagine just how devastating such a scenario would be. Bad enough to lose all the photo albums, let alone a devoted companion–no matter how thankful the family is that all human members got out alive.
Now, firefighters with the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department have a new tool that could give such pet owners anxiously awaited good news. Thanks to the generosity of local realtor Jeanie Reitzell, Valley Humane has presented the department with oxygen masks designed just for cats and dogs.
Fire trucks at 10 stations are now equipped with devices designed to fit snugly on snout, refilling struggling lungs with oxygen. In cities where such masks are standard equipment, otherwise sad stories sometimes report happy endings–when pets that seem to have died from smoke inhalation are revived.
“Valley Humane Society is so excited to bring this program to the community,” said Wendy McNelley, Operations Director for Valley Humane Society. “If my two dogs were trapped in a fire, I would want them to be rescued and resuscitated just like everyone else. They are my family.”
Each kit has three masks ranging in size from small to “mastiff.” Reitzell donated the kits to honor her dog, Daisey. The masks have been dubbed “Daisey’s Gift of Life.”
