Lang was not dissuaded by Sivan's grousing and continued to use her as a model in his demonstration for a pet CPR class on Dec. 10 at Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult and Community Education.

The class was for pet owners to learn the basics of applying first aid and CPR to animals.

Eva McCloskey, special project assistant of the adult education center, says her co-workers laughed at her when she first brought up the idea of holding such a class. McCloskey was the one laughing when interest in the class was so strong they had to add two more classes to accommodate registrants.

The pet accessory business is booming, so supplemental enrichment courses such as pet CPR seemed like a good idea.

Lang, who is a paramedic studying to be a nurse, showed students at adult education a pet first aid and CPR video, stopping frequently to provide explanation. The class followed along with a book produced by the American Safety and Health Institute that was given the "paw of approval" by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

A pile of stuffed dogs and cats of various sizes--and one small, white polar bear--served as substitutes for practicing techniques such as muzzle-wrapping or soft-splinting.

Kate Singleton of Redwood City practiced the CPR technique and pulse check on a small canine mannequin that was about three times the size of any of her three Chihuahuas.

Lang instructed the class to follow the "ABC" method--make sure the airway is clear and open, look and listen for breathing and check for circulation. Lang explained that it is performed much as it is on humans, but with variations depending on the animal.

Singleton is an old pro at listening for sounds at her dogs' mouths.

"I'm always waking them up to see if they're still breathing," Singleton says.

If an animal has a long snout, the mouth is held shut while air is blown through the animal's nose. On a flatter face, such as on a cat, both the nose and mouth must be covered and blown into by the human for resuscitation.

Students took turns blowing into the nose of the mannequin, checking to make sure the chest was rising with each breath. The mannequin was also designed to simulate a pulse that could be felt on the inner thigh of a back leg. Most of the students didn't know how to find their pet's pulse.

Pet CPR is a natural fit for people such as Singleton who view their pets as family members.

Timothy Smith, who accompanied Singleton to the class, says their weekends are spent on "pet things."

"We live and breathe Chihuahua things," he says.

The students were all pet owners and at least one was thinking of the bigger picture.

Lori Jensen of Los Altos hoped to bring the lessons back with her to her volunteer role as a community emergency response teacher.

Jensen says that after watching the disasters of Hurricane's Katrina and Rita unfold she recognized the need to understand how to care for pets, such as her 11-year-old yellow Labrador mix, Lucky.

It turns out other pet owners had emergency care on their minds as well.

"The reception [the class] has had has been a real surprise and we've been having a lot of fun getting these scheduled," McCloskey says.

The class will be offered again in February and March. New catalogs are being mailed out on Dec. 22.