Pet First Aid Classes Sponsored by Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation

Deb Chebatoris doesn’t want to meet any new family until their pet has had a long, healthy life.

Last year she found she had to work with a number of families who lost young or otherwise healthy pets to an accidental death. “I have worked with families whose pet died after being caught and choked by the collar, who suffocated in a potato chip bag,” she continued. Not only does the family experience the loss but there is a lingering feeling that “if only…” they would have done this or that, the death may not have occurred.

She wondered if there was anything that Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation could do to prevent such tragedy, and the idea of Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation hosting pet first aid classes was born.

I attended the very first class Deb sponsored last year and am certified to provide my own pets with first aid, should they need it. I haven’t, before or since, had occasion to do so. However, one of the other benefits of the class for me has been simply possessing the knowledge of how to assess and treat, and this has greatly reduced my own fear at being in a situation and not knowing what to do.

Since June 2011, Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation has sponsored pet first aid introductory and certification classes in Bridgeville and surrounding communities in the south and west of Pittsburgh, taught by Karen Sable of Pet Emergency Training, LLC. Although there is usually a charge for attending these classes, Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation offers these sessions free of charge in an attempt to offer families the skills they can use to help save the life of their pet.

Most classes held in 2011 were introductory classes which review all the procedures but don’t teach the skills, and are 90 minutes vs. five hours, and attendance increased dramatically to over 30 students at one class. Obviously, people are interested and willing to learn how to provide first aid to their pets.

As Deb sat in on the classes she’d sponsored she kept hearing about “your pet first aid kit” advised by Karen, and decided she could put together an inexpensive basic one for people attending the classes. She did this, and in return students offered donations, which Deb and Karen used to purchase O2 Fur LifeTM pet oxygen mask kits to donate to the communities where the classes had been held. So far sets have been donated to Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park; read more about this on the Chartiers Custom Pet Cremation blog, Animus under “The Pet First Aid Story”, a four-part series outlining the success and stories in hosting these classes.

Upcoming classes

Currently scheduled classes are listed below, but new opportunities arise all the time as individuals and communities express an interest in hosting a class. For ongoing dates and times visit the Pet First Aid Classes page on the CCPC website or call Deb Chebatoris at 412-220-7800.

The next certification class is June 2 in Bridgeville, all other classes listed are introductory classes. Read a post about the difference between the two classes and my post about the certification class I attended. See below for details of date, time and place.

You need to register for each session by calling Deb Chebatoris at 412-220-7800. Space is limited, and registrations are taken first come, first served.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012, Washington, PA
Citizen’s Library
55 South College Street, Washington, PA 15301
Introductory Class, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012, North Fayette, PA
Western Allegheny Community Library
8042 Steubenville Pike,
Oakdale, PA 15071
Introductory Class, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012, Moon Twp., PA
Moon Twp. Public Library
1700 Beaver Grade Road, Suite 100,
Moon Township, PA 15108-3109
Introductory Class, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012, Whitehall, PA
Whitehall Public Library
100 Borough Park Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Introductory Class, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012, Peters Township, PA
Peters Public Library
616 East McMurray Road McMurray, PA 15317
Introductory Class, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 2, 2012, Bridgeville, PA
Bridgeville Public Library
505 McMillen Street, Bridgeville, PA 15017
Certification Class, 11:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

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