Update (2/12/2021 at 5:30 p.m.)
Thanks to everyone who donated to help provide pet oxygen masks to fire departments across the metro! We’re happy to say that this week, we distributed nearly 50 masks to 10 metro area fire stations! Carley Deery, a high school senior who made a big contribution to this effort after starting her own pet oxygen mask campaign, joined us in delivering the masks to each station. Thanks to your support, local first responders now have the resources to save more pets’ lives and help make miracles happen for families in crisis who have already lost so much.
Departments that received the pet oxygen masks this week:
Des Moines Fire & Ambulance Services
Ankeny
Bondurant
Delaware
Grimes
Johnston
Mitchellville
Polk City
Township
Urbandale
Windsor Heights
Original Story (1/18/2021 at 4:32 p.m.)
ARL Mobile Response teams are often called to assist first responders when families with pets are impacted by devastating house or apartment fires. We provide pet supplies, temporary pet sheltering, veterinary services, and, when needed, we also provide end-of-life services for pets who sadly don’t survive – all at no cost to their families.
In addition, we also help the heroes on the front lines by providing FREE pet oxygen masks for local first responders so they have everything they need to save not only human lives, but to save pet family members as well.
Earlier this week we put a call-out to help purchase the nearly 50 oxygen masks that were needed across nine departments in the metro, and today, the campaign got a big boost from a high school senior who combined her love of animals with her family’s tradition of giving back.
It all started about a month ago when Carley Deery’s father, David Deery, a senior fire medic with Des Moines Fire Department, resuscitated a dog after a house fire, using a pet oxygen mask that the ambulance on-scene had. Knowing his animal-loving daughter would appreciate this story, he told it to her when he got home. After hearing about her dad’s incredible rescue, Carley also wondered why his squad didn’t have a pet oxygen mask too…and the idea was born.
Carley and her dad started brainstorming how to bring pet oxygen masks to every first responder in Des Moines who needed them. They created fliers, started posting on social media, and Carley and her mom baked dog treats to sell – all to raise funds for this campaign. While the family worked together they heard that the ARL also helps first responders by providing pet oxygen masks, as well as supporting pet families during a crisis.
Carley contacted us to see how she could help and we told her about the other 8 departments in the area who also needed oxygen masks, so together we set out to reach an even bigger goal of ensuring that every first responder in the area – not just Des Moines – has what they need to give pets a fighting chance.
Today, Carley presented the ARL with a check for $2,250 – enough to purchase 28 pet oxygen masks!
There is still time to help save pets’ lives and ensure that when families have already lost everything they have, they won’t have to worry about making sure their pets have everything they need.
Donate
Thanks to your donations and the dedication and passion of Carley and her family, more animal lives will be able to be saved in an emergency.
And Carley’s work isn’t done yet. Once the oxygen masks arrive, Carley will be helping distribute the nearly 50 masks to the following metro stations who have told us they need them:
- Des Moines Fire & Ambulance Services
- Ankeny
- Bondurant
- Delaware Township
- Grimes Johnston
- Mitchelville
- Polk City
- Windsor Heights
- Urbandale
