Air Pollution Dog Blog

Today there are only two choices for an air pollution mask for dogs. The original K9 Mask® made in Austin, Texas, USA or a more recent product made in China. Both are being sold on Amazon. But, which one is better?  

Air filter masks for dogs are a recently new product for dog owners to protect their pets from wildfire smoke, urban smog, desert dust, bacteria, mold, and other toxins. Air pollution is a growing problem with new weather patterns which are creating a dryer climate in some areas and wetter climate in others. 

This quick video overview will show you some of the similarities and differences between the K9 Mask and the others: AUOKOR, tchrules, and PeSandy. All three of these Chinese made masks are made by one manufacturer and then branded by different companies. It is the same dog air pollution mask. This video review will help you discover for yourself the features and benefits of these various air pollution masks for dogs. The goal is to help dog owners protect their pet from air pollution.

Compare Dog Pollution Mask Filters on Amazon

Compare K9 Mask with AUOKOR, tchrules, and PeSandy Dog Air Filter Masks

K9 Mask® Comparison Review for Air Filter Masks for Dogs from K9 Mask on Vimeo.

Smoke over Sydney, Australia, caused by raging bushfires, has become so thick that it is setting off smoke detectors in the central business district, reported South China Morning Post on December 10.

Residents in parts of eastern Australia abandoned their homes on Tuesday as soaring temperatures and strong winds threatened to fan bushfires in a giant blaze north of Sydney, the country's biggest city.

Air quality in parts of Sydney plunged as the city awoke on Tuesday to another thick blanket of smoke, disrupting transport services and prompting health warnings from authorities.

More than 100 fires are ablaze in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria states, many of which have been burning since last month.

Australia uses an air quality index to gauge the levels of pollution around the city. A hazardous level of pollution would register around 200 micrograms per cubic meter on this scale. By comparison, bushfires in some of the city’s eastern suburbs have registered at 2,552 micrograms per cubic meter. The thick blanket of smoke has become so bad that airplanes landing at Sydney airport are being delayed by half an hour while waiting for an improvement in visibility.

Other signs of how bad the fires are include ash washing ashore at popular Sydney beaches, and a haze so thick that it obscures the famed Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge.

So far, the fires have burned 6.7 million acres of land. Their perimeter spans 11,952 miles. Northwest of Sydney, a “megafire” is burning which stretches a solid 37 miles. Meanwhile, temperatures routinely top 104 degrees Fahrenheit and winds are increasing, carrying the fire into new areas. State authorities described the situation as “lethal.”

So far, 700 buildings have been destroyed, and four people have died. More destruction is almost certainly on the way.

Australia is being hit hard. The fires are only the latest effects from the nation’s worst drought in 400 years. Farmers are feeling the worst of it; in October the Telegraph reported that some were asking the government for financial help to abandon their farms.

At least six people have died in the fires, which have destroyed more than 680 homes and burned more than 2.1 million hectares (5.1 million acres) of bushland since they first began in September.

After a brief respite over the weekend, conditions are set to worsen on Tuesday as temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds pick up, stoking fears that fires could spread to more populated areas.

Such forecasts have heightened worries about a so-called mega blaze burning north of Sydney.

Stretching for more than 60 kilometres (37.2 miles), the firefront in the Hawkesbury region, about 50km northwest of Sydney, could grow if the forecasted winds arrive, authorities have warned.

While there is no official evacuation order, many residents have abandoned their communities, Hawkesbury Mayor Barry Calvert told Reuters News Agency.

"It is eerie, many people have decided to leave, and I'm going to do the same," said Calvert.

While conditions are not expected to reach the higher "catastrophic fire danger" hit last month, authorities said the recent hot, dry weather has increased the size of any potential fireground.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were 111 aircraft ready to join firefighting efforts if needed.

Morrison himself has been criticized for his conservative government's climate change policies.

Morrison is facing calls to cut greenhouse gas emissions and move the country quickly towards renewable energy - a sensitive debate in light of Australia's lucrative fossil fuels industry.

Bushfires are common in Australia's hot, dry summers, but the ferocity and early arrival of the fires in the southern spring is unprecedented. Experts have said climate change has left bushland tinder-dry.

The fires have blanketed Sydney - home to more than five million people - in smoke and ash for more than two weeks, turning the daytime sky orange, obscuring visibility and prompting commuters to wear breathing masks.

Sydney's air quality index readings in some parts of the city on Tuesday were 11 times the recommended safe levels, government data showed.

The thick haze forced widespread transport disruptions, with ferries suspended and trains experiencing lengthy delays.

Smoke from bushfires surrounding Sydney has also caused the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to abandon the Big Boat Challenge, a traditional prelude to the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Thanks to Samantha Randall at Top Dog Tips for reviewing the K9 Mask. Although she lives in Maine and doesn't have any immediate needs for an air pollution mask for her dogs she understands the needs in areas of the country like California, and the Northwest, where in recent years wildfire smoke has made it difficult for everyone to breathe clean air. 

Her review at Top Dog Tips for the K9 Mask show a video she made talking about the K9 Mask, an informational article about why dogs need air pollution masks in certain environments, and pictures about some of the K9 Mask features. 

If you want to learn more about K9 Masks go check out her review and video. They will help you understand more about protecting your pet from air pollution.

BY SPECTRUM NEWS STAFF AUSTIN
PUBLISHED 8:27 AM CT NOV. 19, 2019

AUSTIN, Texas – It's a unique solution to a unique problem. While there are countless air pollution masks available for man, Kirby Holmes realized there wasn't one for man's best friend.

• Mask production funded through Kickstarter campaign
• Idea came after seeing fashionable pollution masks for humans
• Many masks are being bought by customers in wildfire heavy regions

"We looked all over the world to find out, does this product exist? - and it didn't," said Holmes.

Holmes, a Houston native and current Austin resident, got the idea for a pollution mask for dogs after seeing air pollution masks being marketed to humans as a fashion item – masks with designs and patterns.

"As everybody rushes to get air pollution masks to protect themselves, nobody's thought that my dog is breathing the same air I am," Holmes said.

Trying to gauge interest, Holmes created a website with articles surrounding the concept of a canine pollution mask. It was when wildfires caused massive amounts of smoke along the west coast last year that the site started getting a bunch of hits.

"We got over a thousand email addresses within a couple of weeks," said Holmes.

Tapping his cousin for help, the two developed a prototype for the K9 Mask, launching a Kickstarter campaign to get funding for mass production.

"We worked through a lot of iterations, came up with a lot of design ideas and finally came down with something that we believe does work and works really well," said Holmes.

According to Holmes and the K9 Mask website, the product claims to protect against smoke, smog, emissions, mold, allergies, chemicals, bacteria and other airborne toxins. The mask has a "panting vent" to allow dogs to breathe air out, but the incoming air passes through N95 and PM2.5 air filters that are inserted into the mask.

While the product may work, getting Rover or Fido to put the mask on is another matter altogether. Holmes tells customers to put a treat inside the muzzle of the mask to get to get their snout inside.

However, Holmes said the mask isn't for everyday use.

"If you're in your garage and you're doing woodworking and you want to protect yourself, and you love having your dog sit with you and be with you - that might be a situation where you want them to wear that," said Holmes. "There's a lot of dust."

After securing Kickstarter funding in April, according to the website, Holmes has already fulfilled 750 orders around the country and across the world.

Many of the masks, Holmes said, have recently been shipped to California where dog owners are looking to protect their pets from the smoke generated by this year's massive wildfires. Holmes said he's also received several orders from China.

"This week we just shipped a box of these masks top Hong Kong where there's rioting and there's tension and there's a lot of tear gas in the city," said Holmes. "We've got a lot of dog owners in Hong Kong saying, 'Would this product help me protect my pet against tear gas?'"

The mask comes in five different sizes to help fit dogs of all snout sizes. Holmes said they have yet to develop a mask that would be able to fit a flat-faced canine.

High heat and catastrophic conditions in Western Australia and lightning strikes in Queensland could intensify fires over the weekend as Australia enters its second week of sustained bushfires.

Australia’s bushfire are a common and deadly threat but the early outbreak this year in the southern spring has already claimed several lives and destroyed more than 300 homes over the past week.

Severe fire danger conditions are expected to continue in NSW on Sunday where about 60 bush and grass fires are still burning, according to NSW Rural Fire Service.

On Saturday, conditions in New South Wales had eased slightly but firefighters said the more than 100,000 hectare Gospers Mountain blaze in the Hawkesbury was unlikely to be contained before weather conditions worsen.

Firefighters had backburned through Friday night to try and get a handle on the huge fire near Sydney’s northwestern outskirts.

NSW Rural Fire Service inspector Ben Shepherd said the fire, which has been downgraded to a “watch and act” alert, “has now burnt out more than 100,000 hectares and it has destroyed six homes”.

“We’ve had reports that one further home may have been lost yesterday.”

The bushfire crisis is now set to intensify on both Australian coasts, with forecasters warning “there is not much end in sight” to a horrific fire season that has not even hit summer.

Firefighters strengthened containment lines by back burning around the Gospers Mountain fire, which is blazing across more than 112,000 acres (175 square miles) near Sydney’s northwest outskirts, but the fire is yet to be contained. Back burns are fires deliberately lit to clear dry undergrowth.

Catastrophic conditions are forecast on Sunday in four regions of WA: east Pilbara coast, west Pilbara coast, east Pilbara inland and Ashburton Inland.

The catastrophic rating was introduced in 2009 and is the equivalent of the conditions for Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires. On Tuesday last week, Sydney experienced catastrophic conditions for the first time.

In Queensland on Saturday, the Pechey/Ravensbourne fire in the Darling Downs region flared to an emergency level, driven by hot and dry wind gusts.

The fast-moving fire reached Ravensbourne by 2.30pm AEST, and burned over a large area between Purtill Road and north of Mount Jockey Road.

People were being told to immediately flee that blaze from Saturday morning onwards. Fire crews, assisted by heavy machinery, are also beefing up containment lines elsewhere in the state.

People are being told to be prepared to leave from the paths of other major fires at Barney View and Palen Creek, where a bushfire with multiple fronts is burning in an inaccessible area of Mount Barney National Park near the Queensland and NSW border.

An unpredictable fire is burning at Tarome, in the Scenic Rim region, moving from the Cunningham Highway towards Ryan Road, Hinrichsen Road, Simmonds Road and Tarome Road. That blaze is likely to impact Ryan Road, Hinrichsen Road and Simmonds Road, in the vicinity of the Bluff.

Further north, fire crews will continue to work on containment lines at the Kinkuna Waters and Woodgate/Walkers Point Road fire south of Bundaberg, with the help of waterbombing aircraft and heavy machinery. People are being told to be ready to leave that area because the fire could get worse quickly.

Conditions are expected to worsen on Sunday, when the Darling Downs and Granite Belt region will rise to an extreme fire danger.

Severe isolated thunderstorms are expected to develop, which, instead of bringing respite, could create dry lightning strikes that start more fires.

“With those winds, particularly as they increase on Sunday, we are likely to see an increase in the fire dangers,” said the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jess Gardner.

Bushfires have destroyed 16 homes in Queensland over the past week.

In WA, a cauldron of hot air developed on Saturday and is expected to sit over the state for days.

On Saturday, Marble Bar was expected to reach 45C, Port Hedland 43C, Meekatharra 42C, Kalgoorlie 41C, Perth 38C and Broome 36C.

On Sunday, conditions will worsen for many regions, with Kalgoorlie forecast to rise to 44C – which would break the city hottest temperature record, set in 1923.

Marble Bar is forecast to rise to 46C, Port Hedland and Meekatharra steady at 43C and 42C, Broome will rise to 38C and Perth will drop to 29C.

The hot air will then sweep through the rest of the country, worsening fire conditions in NSW and Queensland by mid-week.

“Unfortunately, we are in for the long haul and there is not much end in sight,” Gardner told AAP.

In WA, extreme fire danger was forecast on Saturday for the east Pilbara inland, Gascoyne inland and south interior.

In Queensland, severe fire danger was forecast on Saturday for the Darling Downs and Granite Belt, rising to extreme on Sunday.

And in NSW, Tuesday and Wednesday will be fire weather days, with “the weather conditions again deteriorating”, according to the bureau.

Police alleged that “the man lit the fire as an attempt to back burn for the protection of a cannabis crop and perceived benefit from recovery work after the fire and made no attempt to control the blaze,” they said in a statement.A man suspected of starting a blaze which reached emergency level, at Guyra Road in Ebor, east of Armidale, was arrested on Friday.