Rochester Hills Fire Department and Buffalo Wild Wings Give Back!

The family pet, whether it is a dog or a cat, is just as much a part of the family as the rest of you are.  The Rochester Hills Fire Department could not agree more with that statement.  That is why they recently held a fundraiser to aquire two new oxygen masks for animals.  When Nancy Butty, The Fire Public Education Specialist for the Rochester Hills Fire Department, received a phone call from Melissa Jones, the Marketing Coordinator for Buffalo Wild Wings in Rochester Hills, they immediately came up with the idea of having a fundraiser for this cause.  Pet Supplies Plus of Rochester Hills and the Leader Dogs For The Blind were eager to get involved as well.  The Fundraiser was held on Saturday October 9th at the Rochester Hills Buffalo Wild Wings location.  The Fire Department had their trucks and a token Dalmatian there for photo opportunities with the kids and parents alike.  The photos were a suggested $2 donation which raised enough for the first pet oxygen mask all by itself.  The Rochester Leader Dogs For The Blind had several families attend with their “Leader Dog In Training” puppies to entertain children and make them smile as well.  Buffalo Wild Wings offered 20% of the participants’ bills back as a donation to the cause, and Pet Supplies Plus offered a percentage of their sales to the cause as well.  The community responded in great fashion.  Not only were there enough funds raised to cover the cost of two oxygen masks, but also there was a surplus of moneythat was used to make a generous donation to The Leader Dogs For The Blind.  Rochester Hills Fire Chief Ron Crowell said, “It was a great day and a great community event.  Lots of people showed up and everyone loved seeing the dogs there.”  Chief Crowell went on to say that they have arrived at house fires in the past where the family pet has suffered from smoke inhalation.  The firefighters have used the human oxygen masks to try to give the pets more oxygen at the scene, but the masks just do not fit. “This will be a great addition to our firefighters’ gear, and I’m sure it will help the family pets to recover faster after a fire,” stated Chief Crowell.  Ashley Picklo, Third Party Event Coordinator for the Leader Dogs For The Blind, said that it was a wonderful event and anytime they can participate in a community project like that they are more than happy to be involved.  She brought a retired Leader Dog to the Fire Station for Chief Crowell to demonstrate the use of the new oxygen masks.  Chief Crowell also presented Ashley with the check for the remaining portion of the funds that will be used in the Leader Dogs organization.  For more information on the Leader Dogs For The Blind please go to www.leaderdog.org.

About Tom and Ann Gendich

Founders of Rochester Media. Looking to provide great local news to all people in and around Rochester and Rochester Hills. Send them a note at info@rochestermedia.com.