Counter clockwise from right to left: Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (right), Councilman Stuart P. Besen, 1st Asst Chief Mark Sciallo of Huntington Manor FD, Lauren Prylucki of the Canine Fence Co. and firefighter Jack Italiano of Huntington Manor FD.

Canine Fence Company donates oxygen masks to Huntington fire districts

Huntington, NY - Pet owners in the Town of Huntington can breathe a little easier - and so can their pets. Councilman Mark Cuthbertson announced today that thanks to a donation by the Canine Fence Company and Invisible Fence® Brand, eleven fire districts in the Town now have specially-designed oxygen masks for use on dogs and cats.  These pet friendly masks, originally for use in veterinary offices, will allow for the resuscitation of pets that have suffered massive smoke inhalation in fires.

In recent weeks, several tragedies have occurred in Huntington where dogs perished in house fires on account of breathing in smoke.  It is estimated that more than 40,000 pets die in fires every year, most succumbing to this type of smoke inhalation.  The majority of emergency responders in the United States are unequipped to deal with these crises.  When animals are rescued from burning houses and they aren't too badly injured from the fire, they often die from the smoke they inhale because there's no good way to provide oxygen to a cat or dog.  Oxygen masks for people don't fit well over snouts and mouth-to snout resuscitation is not always an effective method.

The generous donation of these specially designed and potentially lifesaving animal oxygen mask sets will enable Huntington first responders to efficiently administer oxygen to a suffering animal.  "We want our firefighters to have the best tools available to them to save the lives of all family members, including pets," remarked Councilman Cuthbertson.  "On behalf of the Town of Huntington, I want like to thank Canine Fence for their generosity.  These kits will help us save many more of our four-legged friends."

Almost every firefighter has experienced a situation where a distressed pet owner has wanted or tried to run back into a burning home in search of their beloved pets.  "We hope that by donating oxygen mask kits that we will contribute to saving more pets and hopefully protect pet owners that may risk their own life to save a pet in a fire," said Tracy Scarfi, Marketing Manager, The Canine Fence Company.  The group plans to donate additional kits to the fire departments throughout New England, New Jersey and Southern NY.

The Town of Huntington is the second town in New York State to receive these masks. Councilman Cuthbertson continued, "Nearly forty percent of Town of Huntington residents are pet owners, which is a testament to how important animals are in our lives.  This donation will go a long way towards protecting the lives of our animals and giving owners piece of mind."