Save Our Pets teaches first aid for companion animals

When a health crisis strikes a pet, not knowing what to do can be terrifying.

At Save Our Pets first aid training, instructor Mary Ellen Zendrian hopes to prepare pet owners for the worst, with instruction on how to check vital signs and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the Heimlich maneuver on four-legged companions.

During her three-hour instruction, Zendrian offers a hands-on opportunity to learn first aid for pets with a specially designed dog-mannequin, in addition to verbal instruction for an interactive learning experience.

"All of it is because we have to be our pets' emergency first responders," she said. "If we can help to stabilize our pets, we are one step ahead."

Zendrian is a former New York City corrections officer who became a master instructor of first aid and CPR during her career. The Save Our Pets owner said this means she often trained trainers to teach CPR and first aid for humans.

Zendrian said while she had learned animal first aid, she stayed busy teaching people about human first aid. She didn't really think about teaching animal first aid until she retired to Delaware and lost her longtime friend and cat, Samson, to kidney failure.

Although Samson was more than 13 years old, the loss hit his owner hard, and since then, Zendrian said, she brushed up for re-certification and decided to launch the business.

"I thought that maybe I was overlooking something," Zendrian said. "You have to fully assess as opposed to just looking at one little thing."

If she had doubts, she thought, maybe other people would benefit from learning how to respond to pet emergencies.

Now she is certified to teach pet first aid through Pet Emergency Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has started to offer her classes at various locations, from pet stores to libraries, hoping to help others save their pets.

"It's something that people want to know if they are pet owners or pet business owners," Zendrian said. "As humans, we have 24-hour services for emergencies that will take us to the hospital, but our pets don't have that."

Upon completion of the course, participants receive a two-year certification in pet first aid from Pet Emergency Education and a printable manual to refer to in case of emergency.

The next Save Our Pets first aid certification class is slated to be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, at Concord Pets on Route 1 in the Marketplace at Rehoboth shopping center. A class is also scheduled 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, at Rehoboth Public Library.

For more information, and a full class schedule, contact Zendrian at 302-450-1360 or go to www.saveourpets.net.