Lake Grove Girl Aims To Help Pets With Hospitalized Owners

LAKE GROVE, NY — Victoria Glass is using her love of animals not only to complete her Girl Scouts Gold Award project but to make a difference in the lives of pets and their owners.

Victoria, 15, of Lake Grove, is working on her Animal Care Emergency Directive — or "ACED for Animals" — which will help pets whose owners become incapacitated while driving.

ACED will feature a magnet that is placed on a car, which would indicate the driver has a neon green envelope in their glove compartment listing the person or people designated to care for their pet in the event the driver is taken to the hospital for medical care. The pet could be in the car or at the driver's home. The envelope would hold contact information for a trusted person to care for the driver's pets right away.

The ACED sticker would also go on the front door of a home listing where in the house the neon green envelope is located should the owner be taken by an ambulance for medical care.

Victoria came up with the idea for ACED in February 2020 when she took an Animal CPR course over her school break, she said. The EMT who taught it said first responders look for a pet information sheet in vehicles so pets would not be left home alone or at the scene of a crash without direction from their owner, according to Victoria.

"I started doing my own research and learned (a) not all first responders knew to look for such information and (b) this was an issue that needed to be addressed to ease the burden on first responders and municipal shelters, bring comfort to pet owners needing medical attention and alleviate stress on the animals in a time of crisis," Victoria told Patch. "ACED or Animal Care Emergency Directive is my solution."

ACED is meant to give law enforcement an immediate contact for the owner's pets; alleviate the burden on the local shelter to travel to pick the pet up; make the transition of care seamless for the pet, as it will be with someone who it is familiar with; and give the owner peace of mind their pet is in good hands with someone they chose to care for their pet while they receive medical care.

Victoria has begun distributing ACED materials and has the support of Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, animal shelters and Suffolk Leg. Leslie Kennedy.

Anyone can request an ACED kit from Victoria, though she is focusing her awareness efforts on Long Island. A kit can be mailed to anyone outside the area. Those who would like an ACED kit should message the ACED For Animals Facebook page. Victoria welcomes any organization or agency to message the page, and she will provide kits.

Victoria's passion for helping animals arose after Lucy, a dog the Glass family rescued in February 2014, died prematurely after her medical records were faked and she did not receive the vaccines listed on her paperwork. Lucy fell ill soon after the Glass family adopted her, and, despite efforts to save her life, she succumbed. This had a lasting impact on a then-8-year-old Victoria.

Eventually, the family would adopt another dog: Hope. Hope was found in Florida by a family friend. She had been abandoned and locked in a shed, was very matted, infested with fleas and ticks and had a large wound down her back, according to Victoria. Ryan Jeffreys was her hero by taking her to the vet for care and naming her "Hope," because he had hope that she would have a better life. The family adopted Hope and met her on Sept. 26, 2014.

Victoria launched "Lucy’s Legacy and Hope For Animals" in October 2014. The project is dedicated to donating to animals in need and providing education about animals and animal issues both in the community and surrounding areas.

"[The organization was] named for 2 dogs who never met, but have had a lasting impact on my life," Victoria said. "Hope is now a therapy dog and accompanies me to any event we go to. She is the example I use to show the transformation an animal can have when properly cared for."

To Joyce, who is Victoria's mother, the ACED initiative is characteristic of her daughter.

"Victoria has had a way with all types of animals since she was very young and wanted to save
worms in the backyard," Joyce said. "Animals of all types gravitate to her. Victoria has always been a problem solver so it did not come as a surprise when she wanted to help animals after Lucy’s illness. Nearly seven years later she is still identifying animal issues and working to address them."

Due to coronavirus-related restrictions on visiting organizations and facilities, Victoria wants to ensure that law enforcement, fire departments and EMTs are aware of what ACED is and what to look for as well as educating the community and distributing ACED kits.