Fire departments in Athens and Limestone County have new tools to help rescue dogs and cats who have smoke inhalation, thanks to a donation from two groups.

The Athens-Limestone Animal Shelter and Limestone Veterinary Clinic recently teamed up to purchase rescue kits for each Athens Fire & Rescue station and all 13 volunteer departments in Limestone County. Veterinarian Dr. Robert Pittman estimated the cost to be about $1,600.

The idea for the donation came about following the rescue of Marley, a small sandy-colored dog who was involved in a house fire in January. After firefighters recovered the dog from the home, they put a dog-sized mask on his face and began doing chest compressions. Their efforts revived Marley, and he was reunited with his grateful owners.

After the rescue, Athens Fire Chief Bryan Thornton noticed one of dog masks was cracked. He paid Pittman a visit and asked where he could get another.

“He asked, ‘How many fire stations do you have?’ and ‘How many are in the county?’” Thornton said. “He said, ‘I’m going to buy kits for all the departments.’ It’s a great thing for our department and our city.”

Pittman said he and the staff of the animal shelter worked together to raise the money.

There aren’t many companies who manufacture the dog-sized and cat-sized masks that hook up to oxygen tanks. Pittman explained the masks are used at his vet’s office to treat animals who have been in fires.

“A lot of pets come in that have been singed in fires,” he said. “Any time you hear about a house fire that happened at 2:30 in the morning, you can just about bet there was a pet in the house or hiding under the house.”

According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, about 40,000 pets die in house fires each year, though most succumb to smoke inhalation. The group said an estimated 500,000 pets are affected each year by fires.

“There are a lot of families in the city who treat their pets like their children,” Thornton said. “This donation changes our capability and will help us in the case we ever have to do another vet rescue.”