Pets are very much part of the family make-up in thousands of 91原创 residents鈥� homes.

Knowing how important pets are to people, Mountain View veterinarian Dr. Ren茅e Ferguson and her husband Matt started looking into whether fire trucks were outfitted with oxygen masks for pets.

鈥淏ecause of a dog鈥檚 pointy nose or different sizes of an animal鈥檚 face, a human oxygen mask can鈥檛 fit to supply much-needed oxygen,鈥� said Ferguson.

鈥淢y husband and I had heard about oxygen masks for pets and started to research it online. We thought here is this simple equipment that is totally attainable that could save animals鈥� lives.鈥�

Three oxygen mask kits, offering three different sizes (shaped like cones) will cost $600 (U.S.) to purchase.

The Fergusons decided they would offer doggy nail trims by donation for the month of April, with the goal of buying the pet oxygen masks.

After less than two weeks into the fundraiser, Mountain View was more than halfway to reaching their fundraising goal.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had huge support from our Facebook  page,鈥� she said.

But a donation even came in from the United States, from someone who heard about their idea through the Tinykittens.com website.

Ferguson has donated her time helping many of the abandoned litters that make their way to the TinyKittens.com webcam home of LAPS supporter and kitten foster mom Shelly Roche.

If the Fergusons surpass their goal, they hope to outfit other local fire departments, including Surrey and Abbotsford.

鈥淭hese masks get efficient oxygen to the pets and can help the survival of an animal,鈥� said Ferguson. 鈥淗aving these masks on board will decrease stress for firefighters who will have the equipment needed to save a pet鈥檚 life.鈥�

Township firefighters and their union IAFF local 4550 were on board with the idea right away, said Matt.

Russ Jenkins, district fire chief of protective services, said firefighters are looking forward to having the kits on the trucks and to be trained on how to use them.

鈥淲e carry oxygen on our trucks so this will be another tool to help families during fire,鈥� said Jenkins. 鈥淥ur firefighters have pets so they are totally on board with this.鈥�

91原创 Township fire department has been involved in large animal rescue for years, helping pull cows and horses stuck in ditches and mud. The department is often called to other jurisdictions because of its expertise in that area.

They have rescue straps on all the trucks. Jenkins said this is another good tool to have on the trucks.

Several of the firefighters have brought their dogs in to get their nails clipped to support this, including Township firefighter Aaron Speers, who brought in his dog Maizie.

In co-operation with the TOL fire department and 91原创 firefighters union IAFF local 4550, the mask kits will be presented to the fire department during the week of May 3, to coincide with National Emergency Preparedness Week.

In addition to providing the masks, Ferguson will also be providing training on how to correctly use the masks, as well as pet CPR.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy to use these masks,鈥� said Ferguson. 鈥淭he firefighters are familiar with all of this.鈥�

If you would like to have your dog鈥檚 nails trimmed, with a donation going towards the pet oxygen masks, you can book an appointment at 604-427-2744. Everyone is welcome.