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Firefighters use pet oxygen mask to revive dog

The dog was unresponsive when firefighters pulled it from a burning home, but came around after receiving oxygen

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During a search of the home, firefighters found a small mutt in a middle room on the second floor. The dog was unresponsive when they carried it from the home.

Photo/Baltimore City Fire Department

By Sarah Meehan
The Baltimore Sun

Firefighters revived a dog after pulling it from a burning house recently in Westport, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department.

Fire crews responded to a blaze in the 2200 block of Sidney Ave. at about 9 p.m. Monday, March 4, fire department spokeswoman Blair Adams said.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, flames were visible on the second floor of a house in the middle of the block.

A man in the house escaped on his own and was taken to a hospital in serious condition due to smoke inhalation, Adams said.

Dog fire rescue

But the man wasn’t the home’s only occupant.

During a search of the home, firefighters found a small mutt in a middle room on the second floor. The dog was unresponsive when they carried it from the home.

After extinguishing the fire, firefighters treated the dog using a pet oxygen mask, provided through a partnership with Invisible Fence Brand. The company has supplied the city fire department with about a dozen masks sized for dogs and cats, Adams said.

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The dog wasn’t breathing well at first, she said, but it came around after about 15 minutes. Later, Animal Control retrieved the dog from the scene. Dogs picked up by Animal Control are taken to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter.

“Hopefully there’s a positive outcome,” she said.

The fire department does not track how often it uses pet oxygen masks, Adams said.

“We do it more often than not,” she said. “You never know if there’s going to be an animal or not.”

https://twitter.com/BaltimoreFire/status/1103334800201535493

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©2019 The Baltimore Sun

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