The Standish Animal Control van is now better equipped to save the life of a furry friend thanks to a donation by a concerned citizen.

Animal control officer Jack Frietas sometimes has to administer mouth-to-nose CPR to distressed animals at accident or fire scenes. The procedure is sometimes difficult due to the size of the animal. It can also be dangerous as an unresponsive dog can still bite out of instinct.

At a recent fire scene, Freitas attempted mouth-to-snout CPR on a dog. The attempt failed and a neighbor who had been watching was touched but thought it seemed extremely difficult to do.

The woman came into the dispatch center and asked Freitas if there was anything that would make it easier for him to do the procedure and save the animal.

“I told her there was special equipment but the department did not have the extra funds for it,” said Freitas. “She wrote a check on the spot.”

The $300 donation allowed Freitas to order respirators, tubing and oxygen tanks. Animal Control also had help from the Standish Veterinary Clinic. The clinic ordered the equipment at cost to help save some money.

“It was great that they helped us,” said Freitas. “We were able to get the equipment without an inflated cost.”

The respirators were ordered in different sizes to fit any size animal from a kitten to a Great Dane.

A human mask can be used but is not particularly helpful, Frietas said. An animal mask fits around the muzzle tighter than a human mask would, providing more oxygen to the animal.

“It’s just great that we got the donation,” said Freitas. “It really will make a big difference.”

The Standish Animal Control van has new equipment thanks to a private donation. The equipment, including respirators and oxygen tanks, will be used for animal CPR.