How’s this for the feel-good story we could all use right about now?
Cardiovascular nurses from Inova Fairfax Hospital crafted pink and blue wraps to make dog and cat beds for Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization in Fairfax Station that provides pet adoptions in Virginia, DC and Maryland with animals rescued from low-income, rural animal shelters or owners who can no longer care for them.
The beds are made from polypropylene, a strong synthetic material that’s generally used to wrap sterilized surgery instruments. Usually these materials are discarded as the instruments are unwrapped and used during surgeries. However, being animal lovers, the nurses decided to find a way to reuse them. Since the fibers are non-toxic, they are completely safe for pets to lounge on and even eat off their surface.
“We received an email a couple weeks ago from a nurse that works at a local hospital, she let us know they are repurposing sterile, recycled materials to create dog and cat beds for animals in need,” says Mark Goodhart, director of operations at Homeward Trails. “We were thrilled to be one of the recipients of the dog and cat beds, as our fosters could really use them!” The organization received 35 beds which they quickly put to good use.
Strong and durable, polypropylene is often used for everything from sportswear and military wear to diapers, ropes, tote bags and backpacks. In the medical field, several-ply spun polypropylene fabric can wrap heavy instruments used in cardiovascular, orthopedic and other procedures, as neither water nor bacteria can penetrate them.
Now Fido and Fluffy can snooze on a comfy bed made from this multi-use material.
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