The American Kennel Club, or AKC, magazine 'Family Dog' highlighted the K9 Mask® in the summer June/July issue in the Gear Guide section. It is very timely for the release of this summer edition to inform dog owners about the possibility of protecting pets from wildfire smoke.
We are already seeing massive fires in New Mexico and the coastal areas of California. The ongoing drier weather, high winds, and lack of moisture this spring is creating emergency situations in many areas of the Southwest. The result is catastrophic fires which are destroying property.
As people are now used to wearing an air filter face mask to protect us from disease it is also common for people to wear a mask to protect themself from the toxins in wildfire smoke.
Dogs suffer from the same respiratory problems as people when toxic smoke is inhaled, especially with the smaller PM2.5 particles carrying toxins into the lungs. These smaller micro particles can lodge deeply into the lungs and create ongoing respiratory health problems for these animals.
K9 Mask® was inspired in 2018 by the catastrophic fires in the city of Paradise, California. With close to 100 deaths and massive destruction of property the idea for innovative solutions to protect pet health was born. Many pets from these massive fires were displaced during the fires and as they tried to return home, many dogs returned to find burnt out remnants of homes of which used to be their safe place. Many families lost pets to the fire. Others were picked up and taken to area pet shelters before being returned to families.
The goal of the Good Air Team, who created the K9 Mask®, is to consider ways to protect pet health from air pollution threats. Our research has discovered dogs benefit from filtering air pollution caused by wildfire smoke, volcanic ash, dessert dust, red tide, allergens, tear gas, and other forms of pollutants. In a crisis a K9 Mask® is able to protect a dog by filtering polluted air through an N95 air filter.
Thanks to the American Kennel Club, or AKC, we are proud to be a new product in the Family Dog summer Gear Guide to help protect pets this summer during the crisis of greater and more frequent wildfires on the West Coast and Southwest. Learn more about the K9 Mask® at www.K9Mask.com.
