Thanks to some local animal lovers, more Valley first responders have the equipment they need to save the lives of family pets that become victims of fires.

The non-profit organization Never Muzzled has donated pet oxygen mask kits to fire departments in Vienna Township, Warren and Newton Falls.

The donation comes just weeks after Ohio enacted a new law permitting first responders to provide certain medical services to an injured dog or cat at the scene of an emergency, prior to transferring the animal to a veterinary care facility.

The law also grants immunity to professionals providing animal care as long as they are acting in good faith and not in willful misconduct.

Never Muzzled, which says it plans to distribute more pet oxygen masks to area first responders, was formed to help local pets in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties of Ohio.

In addition to providing the oxygen masks, Never Muzzled provides solid weather resistant shelter to the outside dogs in need.

They fund The Dogs in Prison Program at the Trumbull Correctional Institute. The group purchases the supplies through donations, and the offenders build the dog houses at the same facility where the dogs are trained on basic commands.

Never Muzzled has partnered with Legacy Dog Rescue to do community outreach projects, such as straw distributions for outside pets and food distributions for low income families.

More information about Never Muzzled and making tax deductible donations may be found here.