April 21, 2011

Wait, you say, who is that white dog? Did Mars get a haircut and a dye job?

No. I am not Mars. As if. Can you believe that someone actually asked Marianne if I was Mars? I'm a GIRL, for Dog's sake. Marianne told me the person was kidding. *Harumph*

My name is Orantes and I'm staying with Marianne and John for a few days while Mars is with my puppy raisers. In CCI lingo this is called a trade, but we pups call it VACATION! Whoo Hoo!

Now while it's true that I still have to be a good CCI dog and mind my manners and obey commands, it just seems easier at someone else's house. Plus there are three dogs to play with here, two interesting cats, and a lot of really cool toys.

Yesterday Marianne told me I was going to work with her, which was fine with me. I've been to Channel 7 before and I got lots of attention from Marianne's coworkers. As I recall, there's a nice soft bed under her desk for naps and a stash of dog cookies close at hand. I was looking forward to the day.

I was mightily surprised then, when we pulled into a parking lot by a fire station instead of the Channel 7 parking lot. I could see lots of people, many with cameras, firemen, and even a few dogs. We got out of the car and headed toward the action.

"What's going on?" I asked grumpily. I'd really been hoping for a cookie and a nap.

"It's a press conference," Marianne explained. Before she could say any more, a nice man with a really big camera came over and asked if he could take my picture. I posed for several minutes while he snapped away. Had I known I was going to a photo shoot I would have insisted on a thorough brushing before we left the house. Fortunately, I was having a good fur day. Another man with a video camera crouched low on the ground and I posed for him, too. This was fun!

Then things got boring while several people gave speeches with lots of clapping in between each one. I closed my eyes and meditated for awhile. I was startled when Marianne said "Orantes, look!" I opened my eyes and saw a large furry dog on a table. A man in a white coat who looked suspiciously like a veterinarian (EEK!) was holding a plastic cone over the dog's nose.

"Is that a vet? What's he doing to that poor dog?" I asked anxiously.

"Yes, he's a retired vet named Jack Rife. You'll notice that Barklee, or "that poor dog," is lying absolutely still and doesn't seem at all fussed," Marianne pointed out.

I looked closer. Barklee rolled on his side and appeared to be sleeping with the cone over his nose. I frowned. "Fine, but I still don't understand what he's doing," I said.

"Barklee is demonstrating the use of an oxygen mask designed especially for pets. See the black bags piled on the table? Those are pet oxygen mask kits. Each one contains three masks in different sizes plus some other supplies," Marianne explained.

"Oh," I said. A horrible thought occurred to me. "That's not something new the CCI pups have to wear is it? Say no! The Gentle Leader is bad enough!" I pawed at the hated Gentle Leader as proof.

Marianne patted me. "Orantes, calm down! No, those are for the firemen to use in case a pet is suffering from smoke inhalation from a fire. Up to now they've had to try adapting oxygen masks made for humans which doesn't work very well, especially if the pet is small."

We watched as a little white dog was lifted on the table next to Barklee and a tiny cone was placed over her nose. She wagged her tail and wiggled. The photographers leaned in and took many pictures. She pranced in place. Clearly this dog knew how to play to a crowd. Barklee yawned.

"All right, I understand about the masks, but why the press conference? Is this a really big deal?" I wondered.

Marianne nodded. "Yes, it's huge. A company called Invisible Fence started Project Breathe with the goal of donating kits to every fire department in the US and Canada. Today Invisible Fence is donating 48 kits to the Denver Fire Department."

I blinked. "Whoa, that's a lot of kits! How many have they donated so far?"

Marianne looked a piece of paper in her hand and said, "According to the press release, "By the end of April, Invisible Fence® Brand will have donated a total of more than 10,000 pet oxygen masks to fire stations all over the U.S. and Canada."

I wagged my tail. "That's wonderful!"

Marianne kept reading. "Although the number of pets that die in fires in not an official statistic kept by the U.S. Fire Administration, industry web sites and sources have cited an estimated 40,000 to 150,000 pets die in fires each year, most succumbing to smoke inhalation. In most states, emergency responders are unequipped to deal with the crisis. The loss is terrible for the family, heart-wrenching for firefighters."

We looked at each other. "Poor families and firefighters," I said. "Not to mention the pets."

Marianne shuddered. "Ugh, losing a pet would be awful. Were you listening when Lieutenant Champagne was speaking?"

I blushed. "No, I was dozing," I admitted. "What did he say?"

"He said that they are so grateful to receive the pet oxygen masks, because losing a pet is devastating, and the firefighters feel better knowing they are now equipped to save pets that suffer from smoke inhalation after a fire,” Marianne replied. "He also reminded us to put a sticker in a window with the number of pets in the house so firefighters know to look for them in a fire."

"Do you have a sticker? I'm not sure my family has one," I said.

Marianne nodded. "Yup, we have a sticker that tells the number of dogs and cats and gives John's cell phone as an emergency number to call."

"Golly, we'd better get a sticker at my house," I said. "What can I do?"

"When we get to the office we'll look online," Marianne told me. "Now let's go get your photo with some firemen!"

We walked over to a fire truck and I hopped up on the fender. I submitted to posing with the mask on my nose and tried not to shed on the dark blue uniforms. You can't tell, but I am wagging my tail in Marianne's photo. That little white dog has nothing on me for charm! Some of the other photographers took my photo, too.

When we got to the station Marianne found a link on the ASPCA website for a free emergency window sticker. Click here to get a free sticker for your window.

Chow for now!

Orantes (absolutely not Mars)

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