An effort started some seven years ago by a local girl with a passion and love for everything pet related came to an official close late last week as it distributed the last of its pet saving kits to the Bristol Township Fire Marshal’s office.
“Yesterday was the official end of Resusapet” was the message on the effort’s socials Wednesday.
Resusapet was the brainchild of Emily Rillings who donated pet oxygen masks to fire departments throughout Bucks County in 2018 as part of fulfilling a 12th birthday wish.
The closing of the non-profit which focused its efforts on providing food to pet owners in need during the COVID Pandemic comes on the heels of the masks she provided to Bristol Township Fire and Rescue resuscitating a Pit Bull at dwelling fire on Beaver Dam Road.
Credit: Third District Fire Company
A program Emily started for her 12th birthday, she continued it until every fire station in Bucks County, some in Montgomery and NJ, had lifesaving pet oxygen masks on board! The fundraising and delivery of the mask kits went on for two years and when Covid hit, the shift went to pet food. Resusapet held drive-through pet food delivery and then delivered to the homes of many who could not get out, a post to the non-profit’s Meta page said.
The official mission of Resusapet is completed, an official for the effort said.
In a crate in my basement, additional kits remained and yesterday the were delivered to Bristol Township, after speaking to Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito after a story was published last week about a dog whose life was saved because of Resusapet. I asked if he could use the additional kits and he said absolutely! We dropped the kits off yesterday and got to speak to Dippolito and the four firefighters that pulled the dog from the fire and resusated him using Emily’s mask. Dippolito also shared with us that the kits have been used multiple times when a pet is rescued and has smoke inhalation but this was the first one that the dog was unconscious and was revived, said on the non-profit’s Meta post.
“This was the perfect ending to the mission of Resusapet!”
“Thanks to all who helped, donated, hosted us at your Fire Station events, community events and the media that covered us! This mission was a team effort and that team worked like a well oiled machine; Carole Davis, myself, Emily and Emily’s dad who now proudly watches her with pride from heaven, Randy Rilling.”