A
lthough most owners
consider their dogs
to be members of the
family, many forget to consider
what will happen to their pets
in the event of a fi re. But with
an estimated 40,000 house
fi res across the country every
year, it’s a sad fact that many
pets will die or suffer as
a result of smoke inhalation.
When Lynn Carberry, from
Bristol, moved to the UK
from Upstate New York fi ve
years ago, she was shocked
to discover that fi re services
in Britain weren’t equipped
with oxygen masks specifi cally
designed for animals, despite
them being used in the USA.
Lynn explains: “I was talking
to my husband about what
would happen to our Labrador
if he was home alone and
there was a fi re. We visited
our local fi re station to ask ifthey carried pet oxygen masks
in their fi re engines, and they
explained that they didn’t.
“We decided to import
a set of oxygen masks from the
USA and donate it to our local
fi re service,” she continues.
“The local press were there
to report on it and then
other people started to come
forward saying they wanted
one too.”
As there was so much
interest in the masks, Lynn
and her husband, Brian
Lockyer, decided to create
the not-for-profi t organisation
Smokey Paws, which is the
sole distributor of pet oxygen
masks in the UK. The couple,
who also have four children,run the organisation alongside
their day jobs as directors of
a company.
Lynn says: “I’ve always loved
animals and we don’t know
what we’d do without our dog.
We just happened to see a
need for this service, so felt it
was something we had to do.
“When there’s a fi re, humans
can run away, but animals want
to hide and dogs go under
beds. Pets are at a higher risk
of smoke inhalation, because
most of them are left at home
alone during the day and can’t
get out if something happens.”
She continues: “We go to
a lot of shows to raise money
and create awareness. Many
people come up to us and saythey’ve never heard of oxygen
masks specifi cally for animals.
Just like a fi re detector, you
don’t know you need them
until there is a fi re.”WHAT’S THE
DIFFERENCE?
Normal oxygen masks, which
fi re services are required to
carry, are designed to fi t over
human faces. However, these
are a poor substitute for pet
oxygen masks, which are
designed with a specifi c role
in mind.
Lynn explains the difference:
“Human masks are not
designed for use on animals.
The pet oxygen mask is
a conical shape, so their
muzzle can get right into it
— they give the pet around 90
per cent oxygen, compared to
the 10 per cent they would get
from a human mask.60 Your Dog November 2017 http://www.yourdog.co.ukBreathe easy
One not-for-profi t organisation is on a mission to ensure every fi re
service in the country is equipped with pet oxygen masks.
The pet oxygen masks
are designed to fi t
snugly over a dog’s nose.“When there’s a fi re, humans can
run away, but animals want to hide
and dogs go under beds.”60-61 YD Smokey CS(SW)EW.indd 60 22/09/2017 14:43