By Bobbi Seidel
Ashbury Press
Copyright 2008 Ashbury Press
ASHBURY PARK, N.J. — Children in the Paws 4 A Cause Dog 4-H Club recently helped an injured dog, even though they weren’t present when the dog was hurt.
The Monmouth County club donated pet oxygen masks last year to emergency medical services squads and several fire departments in the county. In early January, when a small gray-and-white dog became trapped beneath a small sedan on Prospect Avenue in Little Silver, one of masks helped, says Peter Giblin, a lieutenant with the Little Silver EMS squad.
“The dog got wedged under the car. Our fire department and EMS responded. They lifted up the car and pulled the dog out. We administered oxygen with the mask, which calmed the dog right down. It worked out great,” Giblin says. The dog was treated by a veterinarian and is fine, he says.
“We had a dog die in a fire two years ago. These masks might be able to help a dog with smoke inhalation,” adds Giblin, a dog lover and borough firefighter. “It’s an outstanding program. I’m very impressed with the kids.”
The club — with 29 youths ages 6 through 18, about half boys, half girls — started the project last June, says club co-leader Esther Murphy, 47, of Spring Lake Heights. Her daughter Monica, 13, is club president. Joanne Risa of Tinton Falls is the other co-leader.
4-H clubs do community service projects each year, says club leader Lee Ann Tursi, 45, of Eatontown, whose three daughters are members: Megan, 15; Amanda, 13, and Mary, 9. Megan is vice president, and Amanda, treasurer.
Murphy learned of the masks from a teacher whose class had raised money to buy a set. A set costs $55, includes three sizes and can be used with all pets, Lee Ann Tursi says.
“No one thinks about what happens to pets when there’s a fire,” Esther Murphy says.
“When we use a human oxygen mask for a pet, it doesn’t deliver the proper amount of oxygen. The human mask doesn’t fit the pet’s snout and mouth,” explains Garrett M. Giberson, fire inspector with the Asbury Park Fire Department, which received masks. “The pet mask does fit and delivers 100 percent oxygen.”
“Monica presented the idea to the club because it has to be through the children. They had to vote on it. It was unanimous. The kids loved it,” Esther Murphy says.
“Then we started fundraising,” says seventh-grader Monica, who dances, acts in community theater, studies sign language and is involved in an academic-recognition program. “We went to local vets and dog businesses. We gave them information and asked if they wanted to put up a canister or make a donation.”
“A lot of the veterinarians donated money to buy a set,” says Lee Ann Tursi, director of litigation services at the law firm of Carluccio, Leone, Dimon, Doyle & Sacks, Toms River.
The club raised more than $3,000 and gave out 110 sets, Lee Ann Tursi says. Other Monmouth County 4-H clubs donated to the project, and an Internet search found Best Friends Pet Care, which runs All for Doggies day care and boarding in Shrewsbury and Marlboro, she says.
“The company matches donations within 25 miles of their locations. They donated 55 of the 110 sets,” she says.
Club members also raised money at the Monmouth County Fair last summer.
“We had a stand with a bucket,” says fourth-grader Mary Tursi, who plays soccer, dances, and is a gymnast. “We had fliers, and people could donate. We raised $166.”
The hard work was worth it, the girls say.
“You knew you were helping animals and saving them,” says seventh-grader Amanda Tursi, who plays softball and soccer, runs cross-country and is a gymnast.
But learning where to donate the masks was difficult, the women say.
“I was randomly calling different first aids,” says Esther Murphy, a personal trainer at the Atlantic Club, Wall. “Then I got a hold of Mike Oppegaard.1 We hit a home run! He was wonderful. He was our liaison.”
Club members “deserve all the credit,” says Oppegaard, deputy EMS coordinator for Monmouth County.
“I just got them in touch with the squads. The kids did a great job,” says Oppegaard, also deputy coordinator of the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management.
“Considering the ages of the youths, they did a fantastic job . . . their work shows,” Giberson agrees.
The city fire department, which comprises the EMS, hasn’t used the masks yet.
“But I’m sure they will be useful,” Giberson says. “We had a pretty bad fire around the end of last year that involved some cats. We were able to get them all out, and it wasn’t necessary to use the masks. But if it had been necessary, we would have had them to use.”
Besides the EMS squads, fire departments receiving masks were Eatontown, Tinton Falls, Spring Lake Heights, Spring Lake and Rumson. The masks were distributed at a November ceremony at the 4-H center, Freehold Township.
Club members spoke about the program, Mary Tursi says.
“Then we handed out the masks,” Amanda Tursi says.
Lee Ann Tursi founded the club in 2006.
“I grew up in Ohio and did horse 4-H,” Lee Ann Tursi says. “4-H is huge in Ohio. I was looking for a way to involve all three of my kids in the same thing, and I like what 4-H stands for: head, heart, hands and health. It’s a youth organization that promotes kid leadership and community service. For us, it’s anything related to dogs.”
“I had never even heard of 4-H. I grew up in the city. But we totally love dogs. We really lucked out. This is a great club,” says Esther Murphy, who became involved through Tursi and whose family has a Wheaten terrier.
“We want to educate the kids about dogs in general and have the kids educate the community,” Lee Ann Tursi says. She and her husband, Mike, 45, a special education teacher, have two mixed-breed dogs.
The club helps members train dogs and has speakers on topics such as pet first aid. This year’s project is being finalized but may involve building a sculpture out of donated cans of pet food, then donating the cans to an area shelter and some rescue groups.