Finlo was a puppy. A rescue. A goofy, joy-on-four-legs kind of dog who had finally landed in the family he was always meant to have — Joseph and Acacia, who loved him like a child, who gave him the best life a dog could ask for. Nora, the families beloved cat, was right there with him. They were home together, safe, while Joseph and Acacia were out at a family event.

On April 13th, in our community in Port Perry, a lithium-ion battery ignited inside the house.

The smoke detectors did exactly what they were built to do. They sounded the alarm, loud and steady, into a house with no one there to hear them. The fire filled the home with thick, toxic smoke and then — starved of oxygen — burned itself out. By the time Joseph and Acacia pulled into the driveway and saw the smoke, it was already too late. They called 911. Firefighters arrived and found Finlo and Nora inside.

Both of them were gone.

Joseph and Acacia are gutted. There's no other word for it. Two members of their family — every bit as loved, every bit as real as any child — were taken in a fire they had every reason to believe their home was protected against. The detectors worked. No one was there to hear them.

Across North America, an estimated 40,000 pets die in home fires every year, and 500,000 are affected overall. Most die from smoke inhalation, not flames. Most die alone. (Sources: American Veterinary Medical Association; American Red Cross / U.S. Fire Administration. Canadian fire authorities don't track pet fatalities separately, but the issue is the same on both sides of the border.)

This has to change. And we are going to be the ones to change it.

We need your help — right now

We've already committed to outfitting 3 fire departments with 7 Enhanced Animal Rescue Kits and to training nearly 150 firefighters. The need is here. The work has started. We just need the funding to deliver on what we've promised — and to keep going.

Examples of cost:

$170 — a full set of pet resuscitation masks for a fire department, or a smart smoke detector that alerts a family through a free app the moment smoke or CO is detected at home

$300 — fully equips one fire truck with a complete Enhanced Animal Rescue Kit

Who we are

Finlo's Cause is a program of Vets Around the Corner - Community Veterinarian Program , a community-focused animal hospital in Port Perry, Ontario, and a federally registered not-for-profit. We are rooted in our town. We know our neighbours by name. We know their pets by name. Finlo and Nora were our patients to lose them to a house fire that should never have taken them, we couldn't sit still.

That's who we are. We're a community. And we take action.

What your donation builds

Every kit we build, every training we deliver, every resource we offer is provided to fire departments completely free of charge — and includes everything they need to actually save a pet's life, not just keep one breathing for a few extra minutes.

Enhanced Animal Rescue Kits — $300 each

Most fire trucks today carry nothing for pets. The few that do typically carry one mask — and relies on the animal breathing on its own, that's where the help ends. We're changing that. Each Enhanced Animal Rescue Kit gives a fire department:

1) Pet oxygen masks in multiple sizes — dog, cat, and small mammal

2) Resuscitation masks for delivering rescue breaths to a pet who isn't breathing

3) Active resuscitation equipment — the tools firefighters need to work on a pet after the rescue, not just hand them over

4) Burn treatment supplies designed for animals, not improvised from human kits

5) A 24/7 veterinary hotline — when a firefighter has a critically injured pet on scene, they can pick up a phone and reach a licensed veterinarian. Live. Right then. From flame to recovery.

‍ Free advanced training — developed by veterinary experts

Other programs hand a department a mask and walk away. We don't. Our training is built and delivered by veterinary professionals — how to find a hidden cat in a smoke-filled room, how to perform CPR on a dog, how to triage smoke inhalation in animals, and exactly when to call the hotline. Hands-on. Expert-developed. Free.

Smart smoke detectors for the homes that need them

This is the gap that took Finlo and Nora. Traditional detectors save lives only when someone is home to hear them. Smart detectors send an alert through a free app to your phone — and to a designated neighbour or family member — the moment smoke or carbon monoxide is detected. That means a family at dinner, at work, or out of town can call 911 before it's too late. We're working to get these into the hands of pet owners who couldn't otherwise afford them, especially seniors and families with multiple animals.

Innovation for the pets of tomorrow

Window decals listing pets inside. Crate-locator tags. Heat-activated door releases. Lithium-ion battery awareness campaigns. Pet fire safety hasn't seen real innovation in decades — and we're committed to change that.

Finlo was a funny boy who had finally come home. Nora was right there with him. Joseph and Acacia loved them beyond words, and the hole they've left behind is one no family should ever have to carry.

We can't undo what happened. But together, we can make sure their names become the reason another family gets to keep theirs.

Thank you for being part of this — from all of us at Finlo's Cause and Vets Around the Corner in Port Perry, and from Joseph, Acacia, we thank you for your support.