Christy Jones understands the bond dogs and their owners share -- she considers her German shepherd, Jasper, a family member.
They take walks and go to training classes, and Jasper greets her when she comes home.
"I just love him to pieces," said Jones, 37, of Canton.
She said she would be devastated if something happened to him, so she does what she can to protect her beloved pet, including taking an emergency course to learn how to give him CPR and treat injuries.
In 2008, when Jones read about oxygen masks designed to fit over the snouts of pets, she wanted them to be available in her community should her dog or another person's pet need one. She contacted the Canton Fire Department, which welcomed her donation of five sets of masks -- each set with small, medium and large masks to fit different-size animals.
Earlier this month, one of those masks was used for the first time to help save a dog's life.
Canton firefighters rescued Skylar, a 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, from a house fire. The dog belongs to Lauri Karol and her family, who say they're grateful to Jones that the masks were available.
"That dog means everything to me," Karol said.
Karol, 31, rushed to her burning home in the 6800 block of Carriage Hills Drive on May 5 when neighbors called and immediately alerted firefighters the family pet was inside.
A firefighter found Skylar and carried the dog outside to Capt. Ron Battani, who began working on her.
"Part of our job is to save animals along with people," Battani said.
The dog was unconscious and barely breathing.
"I saw them pull her out," Karol said. "She looked dead."
Karol screamed and said a prayer for her pet.
When the department got the masks, Battani spent about 30 minutes learning about them. But in his 35 years as a firefighter and emergency medical technician, he had never used one to save an animal.
"You wonder if it's actually going to work," he said.
Battani started the flow of oxygen on the dog and waited for signs of improvement.
Ten minutes later, Skylar started to move a little. After 20 minutes, the dog opened her eyes and looked at him. A few minutes after that, she stood up.
Skylar was alive but suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. Smoke damaged her lungs, nasal passage and eyes, veterinarian Judi Fleischaker of Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in Bloomfield Hills said. Skylar spent five days at the vet's office, coughing up soot while in an oxygen cage as part of her treatment.
Fleischaker credits firefighters for saving the dog's life and said it probably wouldn't have been possible without the mask.
"It works pretty much the same as an adult or pediatric oxygen mask, other than it's designed for the pet," Canton Fire Chief Timothy Dunn said.
Dunn said the department's budget didn't have funds for masks designed for animals, so it was fortunate Jones, who spent $300 from her tax refund to buy the masks, donated them.
Skylar is still recovering and had treatment earlier this week for pneumonia, staying overnight at Alsager Animal Care Center in Canton -- where Karol has worked for 13 years as a veterinary assistant and receptionist.
The dog was released Wednesday and is staying at Karol's temporary home in Canton while repairs to her home are made. A cause of the fire has not been determined, officials said.
Karol plans to take her dog to meet the firefighters who helped saved her.
"I'm very happy that it saved a dog," Jones said, adding firefighters are the heroes.
Copyright 2012 - Detroit Free Press
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
