Fundraiser planned to help Youngstown firefighters save the lives of pets
An animal advocacy group is teaming up with the Youngstown Fire Department to help pets who are the victims of fires.
An animal advocacy group is teaming up with the Youngstown Fire Department to help pets who are the victims of fires.
Never Muzzled is dedicated to helping animals in Trumbull and Mahoning County. "We don't rescue or take in dogs," says co-founder Linda Liguori. "We help backyard dogs, by giving them a new house."
The houses are built by inmates at the Trumbull Correctional Institute in Leavittsburg. The group also works with the facility and its Dogs in Prison program. Dogs in Prison takes dogs from the Trumbull County pound every 10 weeks and enrolls them in an eight week course at TCI where the offenders train dogs and Never Muzzled provides the food, bedding, treats and other accessories for the dogs and their trainers.
The group's new goal is raise funds to purchase pet oxygen masks for the Youngstown Fire Department. The masks are specially designed for pets to get oxygen if they have are the victim of a fire or other event that would require external oxygen. Liguori says they were contacted by a Youngstown fire fighter who noticed none of the trucks had oxygen masks for pets. Never Muzzled and the Youngstown Firefighters union have paired up for a fundraiser on May 21 at The Federal in downtown Youngstown from 2 until 7 p.m.
During the event The Federal has agreed to donate 15 percent of meal sales to the purchase of the oxygen masks. There will also be a Chinese auction at the dinner.
Liguori says they are reaching out to other departments in Valley to see if they have pet masks. Liguori says if they raise enough funds for to fully supply YFD, they will give the masks to other departments.
