Animals in West Windsor can breathe easy. The police department has announced the purchase of five oxygen mask kits designed for animals, and a chip scanner for identifying stray pets.
The oxygen mask kits, known as “Wag’N O2 Fur Life Pet Oxygen Mask Kits,” contain three snout-shaped masks in varying sizes. The kits will be carried in patrol cars and connected to oxygen bottles, which officers are already equipped with.
There have not been any recent incidents where a pet was in need of resuscitation, and the snout-shaped oxygen kits provide additional emergency preparedness, according to lieutenant Robert Garofalo.
“You never know, we have a lot of pets in town,” says Garofalo, himself an owner of a Bijon poodle. “The masks will help resuscitate any animals that are in a fire or undergoing respiratory arrest. I had the kit in my car; I thought they were great.”
Garofalo also previously had experience using a pet chip scanner, which scans a pet’s microchip to identify the pet’s owner and location.
“We pick up strays quite often. The scanner allows us to have the ability to scan the animal right away and return them in a matter of minutes,” Garofalo says.
In the event the township cannot immediately identify an animal’s owner and must assume responsibility, the pet is temporarily boarded at Weber’s on Route 1. Injured animals or animals picked up when the temperature is very cold are taken to Princeton Animal Hospital.
At the April 20 Council meeting, Council approved three animal services contract renewals: Princeton Animal Hospital for emergency veterinarian services; Nassau Animal Hospital for non-emergency veterinary services; and Weber’s. Services are used upon request from the township’s animal control officer, who is employed by East Windsor and provides shared services as part of an interlocal arrangement.
