Air Pollution Dog Blog — Dog Pollution Mask

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.

Much of California in the United States was on high alert on Friday as wind-driven wildfires tore through the state's south, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and destroying multiple structures and homes. 

Fire officials said an 89-year-old woman died in Calimesa, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, when fire swept through a trailer park overnight after the driver of a dust cart that caught fire dumped his burning load nearby. 

Another man in his 50s died on Thursday night from cardiac arrest as he spoke with firefighters battling the so-called Saddleridge brush fire in the San Fernando Valley, about 32km (20 miles) north of downtown Los Angeles, fire officials said. 

That fire grew rapidly, prompting evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said the blaze that started late on Thursday in the city of Sylmar was being fueled by dry conditions and high winds known as the Santa Ana winds. 

"This is a very dynamic fire, Terrazas told a news conference. "Do not wait to leave," he urged residents. "If we ask you to evacuate, please evacuate." He said some 1,000 firefighters were fighting the blaze that was 13 percent contained by early afternoon and had forced the shutdown of several major highways. The metro line in the area was also shut as were schools and businesses. 

Red flag warnings At least 25 buildings have been destroyed by the blaze, the cause of which has not been determined. "We've calculated that the fire is moving at a rate of 800 acres [325 hectares] per hour," Terrazas said, adding that it would probably take days to get it under control.

Some 200 firefighters, water-dropping helicopters and firefighting airplanes were meanwhile battling several blazes, including the one that tore through the trailer park in Riverside County.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, but authorities ordered some homes in the area be evacuated. The National Weather Service said it expects the high winds fanning the flames to subside, making it easier for firefighters to get the situation under control. 

A red flag warning - which indicates ripe conditions for wildfires - remains in effect through Saturday. "That seems to be the new normal in California," lamented Sylmar resident Oscar Mancillas, as he helplessly watched the flames spread in the hillside near his home. 

"I mean the vegetation is so dry ... but we're kind of lucky because it didn't grow back from the last fire," he told AFP news agency. "In California, you have to be earthquake ready and you have to be fire ready ... and for those of us who have a family, it's a little daunting sometimes." 

The wildfires in the south erupted as California's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), implemented rolling power blackouts that affected some two million people in northern California this week.

About 312,000 customers remained in the dark on Friday as a result of the shutoffs designed to reduce the threat of wildfire that can be sparked by lines downed in strong winds. 

Many schools and universities were also closed in northern parts of the state as people stocked up on gasoline, water, batteries and other basics, with frustration mounting at the blackouts condemned by some as "third world".

"We're seeing a scale and scope of something that no state in the 21st century should experience," Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday, blaming decades of what he called neglect and mismanagement by PG&E. 

"This is not, from my perspective, a climate change story as much as a story about greed and mismanagement over the course of decades," Newsom said. "Neglect, a desire to advance not public safety but profits." 

PG&E has defended the outages as necessary for safety reasons and has said it will take days before power is restored to all customers as inspections must be conducted on all power lines and equipment before the lights can be turned back on. "This is not how we want to serve you but blackouts can happen again," Bill Johnson, the CEO of the company said on Thursday. 

Last November, PG&E's faulty power lines were determined to have sparked the deadliest wildfire in the state's modern history, which killed 86 and destroyed the town of Paradise.