Lakes Region Kennel Club and Sant Bani School join forces

Animal deaths due to smoke inhalation during home fires are something that is oftentimes overlooked. In the aftermath of a devastating fire, the serious injury and even death caused by the fire to man’s best friend frequently goes unattended due to a lack of oxygen. Many fire engines and rescue ambulances must resort to the use of human oxygen masks, which are not very effective on dogs or other pets.

After a study of such cases, the Lakes Region Kennel Club of Meredith adopted a project as part of its community outreach to donate oxygen masks, which are specifically designed to fit an animal’s snout, to local fire departments and rescue ambulances in New Hampshire. Each set has three different masks designed to fit varying muzzle sizes of pets.

Recently Sant Bani School, in partnership with the Kennel Club, raised money to donate a set of pet oxygen masks to the Laconia Fire Department. The Club, through Majorie Wessner, a member of the Board of Directors, sent a letter to some Laconia residents telling them of its project. One of the residents who works at Sant Bani School thought it would be a wonderful service project for the younger children and brought the idea to Service Coordinator, Hillary Pincoske. Pincoske then spoke with the children about the project and the first grade decided they would hold a bake sale. Cookies were baked and students and staff came, eager to help support the cause. Enough money was raised to donate to the Kennel Club so that they could buy one set of masks. Nancy Cardoza, also a Board director, and her dog, Roscoe, along with Wessner recently visited Sant Bani’s first graders to receive the donation.

The Lakes Region Kennel Club is an affiliate of the American Kennel Club. It has been in existence over fifty years and meets monthly at the Meredith Center Fire Station. Part of its mission is to educate and help promote responsible dog ownership. Another major program is to grant a scholarship each year to an outstanding student at UNH who has been accepted by a school of veterinary medicine.

According to Wessner, the partnership with Sant Bani School was a natural. The School has integrated service into its curriculum throughout its 35 years of teaching and this was a great example of educating students of all ages about the meaning of giving.

Sant Bani School is an independent kindergarten through twelfth grade day school located in Sanbornton, NH. It was founded in 1973 with six students and has grown to over 175. No child is ever turned away for a family’s inability to pay; over 70 percent of Sant Bani students receive financial aid. For information call (603) 934-4240 or visit the school’s website at www.santbani.org.

Since initiating the program, the Lakes Region Kennel Club has had requests from over 40 towns in New Hampshire to receive donations of pet oxygen masks to their fire departments or rescue ambulances. Any pet lover who is interested in supporting the program is welcome to contact the Kennel Club at (603) 524-7899 or attend one of the meetings of the Club.