Archive for September, 2006
In the cities of Appleton and Madison, Wisconsin, fire trucks and ambulances have been equipped with masks intended for use on dogs, cats and other small animals.
Alderman Richard Thompson initiated the program after he saw a newspaper photograph of a firefighter in Superior giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a cat rescued from a house fire.
“A pet is family to most people,”he said.”I know I wouldn’t want to lose Maggie, my collie, or Lucy, my Tabby cat, to a fire, carbon monoxide poisoning or Lord knows what else.”
The money to pay for each $49 mask came from donations by local animal lovers.
“It was something to see,”Thompson said.”There was no organized solicitation effort. People and community groups just read or heard about the program and stepped up to the plate.”
The masks, which come in three sizes, will be distributed to each of six fire stations and to the Appleton Police Department K-9 unit, he said The Madison Fire Department carries similar masks on its seven ambulances, said Lori Wirth, the department’s community education officer.
The Madison department also bought its masks with money raised from unsolicited donations, she said. In fact, the department raised so much money it was able to buy mask kits for several neighboring communities.
Wirth said the department’s firefighters haven’t had to use the masks yet but they’re trained and willing.
“What we’ve done so far is use the masks as a way to remind people to get out of their residence in the event of a fire and don’t go searching for pets,”she said.”Firefighters will care for any pets we find in the event they suffer from smoke inhalation.”
Oxygen masks made for pets are actually now being used by fire departments all over the country. The trend started in Florida in 2004, when the death of a dog from smoke inhalation triggered a local campaign to equip fire departments, said Jeff Baker, vice president and general manager of Smiths Medical Veterinary Division, a Waukesha, WI, company that makes the masks, traditionally used for anesthesia. They have sold more of the masks since then, than in the previous 15 years, most going to fire departments including Chicago and New York City.
Human oxygen masks are often foiled by fur and long noses, leading firefighters to try makeshift methods including, in moments of true dedication, mouth-to-snout resuscitation. But the cup-shaped pet masks have a rubber ring that creates a seal, allowing rescuers to pump pure oxygen into the noses of dogs and cats. Each set has three masks – small, medium and large – meant to fit all sizes of pets. Without the masks, reviving animals was hit-or-miss at best, firefighters say, and losing a pet adds more trauma to a family already dealing with the fallout from fire damage.
Firefighters are of course still trained to rescue people first, but they are willing to take further risks to bring out an animal. They realize, like we do, that pets are an important part of people’s families.
A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China’s Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson!
No injuries were reported although both vehicles were slightly damaged, according to the official accident report. The woman said her dog “was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive,” so she thought she would let the dog “have a try” at steering while she operated the accelerator and brake. Surprisingly, they did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car.
You can read more about the story on Yahoo!
Now, while our dog Kylie does have her own driver’s license she also has a very short attention span and is very easily distracted so she is not a good driver. [Okay, I confess, I know this from experience.. Yes when Kylie & I were both much younger I let her “have a try” at the steering wheel. But she seemed to feel staying in one lane was optional and she liked to honk the horn – a lot!] Besides, Kylie really prefers to be chauffeured so she’s free to be completely crazy in the car! Which brings me to the issue at hand…
We found this very cute website, Dogs In Cars, that features nothing but pictures of.. you guessed it, dogs in cars! 
I know it doesn’t sound exciting but if you’re a dog lover, especially one who loves to take your dog everywhere like we do you’ll love it. Oh, and you are encouraged to submit a picture of your dog riding in your car to be added to their collection! Naturally, we will be submitting a picture of Kylie but we are having trouble deciding (they request that you upload only one).
Kylie being uncharacteristically well-behaved and very cute in the car…
Or acting like a maniac, as usual…
If you have an opinion we would love to hear it, and if you have a great picture of your dog in your car, you should upload it. And be sure and let us know if you’re dog gets added to their site!
