Doggles and dog booties: Anchorage residents prep pets for volcanic explosion

When scientists announced recently that a volcano outside Anchorage was showing signs of an impending eruption, residents Alliana Salanguit and Jesslin Wooliver went looking for protective gear.

They secured what they needed to protect themselves and their belongings from corrosive ashfall, which can irritate eyes and lungs: KN95 masks, window-sealing tape and vehicle air filters.

But first, they bought stuff for their dog.

Three-year-old Iroh already had booties and a raincoat. To augment, his owners went online and procured a dog mask and some flashy eyewear.

“I searched ‘pink, dog goggles, small,’ and it was the top result,” Salanguit said of Iroh’s heart-shaped goggles. “Aren’t they darling?”

Mount Spurr, which scientists say is likely to erupt in the coming weeks or months, is about 80 miles west of Anchorage. Still, an explosive event could produce ash clouds that reach Alaska’s biggest population center, according to experts.

That’s prompted residents like Salanguit and Wooliver to acquire two types of PPE: personal protective equipment and pet protective equipment.

The city government has warned about the risk of the ash to humans – particularly to the lungs of small children and those already suffering from respiratory problems.

But it has also specifically reminded residents about the need to ensure pets’ safety – prompting a run on accessories like Rex Specs, a brand of high-performance dog eyewear akin to a ski mask that are priced locally at $85.

The city has issued targeted pet recommendations – namely, to keep them indoors as much as possible. If they do have to go out, the city recommends booties to protect paws from ash, which can contain “tiny jagged particles of rock and natural glass” according to the United States Geological Survey. Eye protection and masks “would be helpful,” too, said Joel Jorgensen, a spokesman for Anchorage’s animal control agency.

“If you can get canine respirators, fantastic,” he said.

At AK Bark, a Midtown Anchorage pet store, owner Mark Robokoff stocks both Rex Specs and cheaper eye protection called – sorry – Doggles. He sold more than 500 pairs total in March, and notes that the eyewear comes with sartorial side benefits.

“It’s kind of nice that the goggles are not only a safety precaution, but they look fantastic,” Robokoff said. “Appropriate for the sidecar of a motorcycle.”

Before the announcement of the possibility of the eruption, he added, “some people just wanted them so their dog could stick their head out the window.”

“It was an item that was occasionally sold,” he said. “Now, it’s a necessity.”

Tracking down dog respirators to sell at the store proved more challenging, but they’re now en route to AK Bark in sizes small, medium and large, Robokoff said. The store has presold 1,800.

If you’re wondering how a dog or a puppy can possibly be convinced to tolerate a respirator, Robokoff says there’s just one way: getting the dog used to it ahead of time.

“I don’t know how many of my customers are actually going to go to the trouble to do that,” he said. “I hope a lot of them do, because if you just try to put one of these on the dog and let them outside, it’s going to last about three or four seconds.”

Salanguit and Wooliver, the dog owners, have been following a treat training protocol. Iroh gets a reward when the mask gets taken out, a reward when it gets strapped on, and a reward when it gets taken off.

At a recent fitting, Iroh happily crunched chunks of freeze-dried, wild Alaska salmon, even as his owners conceded that donning the mask makes him a “little grumpy.”

“We’re trying to just get him not to associate the goggles with, like, torture and pain, but more, like, treats,” said Wooliver. “So that when the volcano does erupt, and we have to put it on, he’s not going to just protest.”