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K-9
CONTRIBUTIONS
September
11, 2001
By
the F.A.S.T. CO.
Page
1 - update: 6-29-03
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A
MUST READ
Saturday, October 19, 2002 - 3:06:35 AM MST
- (San
Francisco area)
Heroic 9/11
dog heads to Pleasanton
By
Matt Carter PLEASANTON IT'S A STORY - of
near-mythic proportions: On Sept. 11 2001
A
guide dog led her blind owner to safety from an office on the 78th floor
of the World Trade Center.
After
a harrowing 45-minute descent down more than six dozen
IT'S
A STORY of near-mythic proportions: On Sept. 11, 2001, a guide dog led
her blind owner to safety from an office on the 78th floor of the World
Trade Center. After a harrowing, 45-minute descent down more than six dozen
flights of stairs, the pair made their way to safety through the debris
of the collapsed twin towers. In the days and weeks after the tragedy,
national and international media seized on the story, telling it again
and again for the hope and inspiration it offered. , STAFF WRITER But the
story of Michael Hingson and his guide dog Roselle doesn't end there. Hingson
won't let it. Hingson and Roselle will be among the star attractions at
a dog show at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Sunday. At the show, sponsored
by the Livermore-based Del Valle Dog Club, Roselle will be one of two dogs
honored by the American Kennel Society for her dedicated service. It's
not the first such award for Roselle. Hingson and the 4-year-old Labrador
retriever have become quite accustomed to the media spotlight. Not
long after the Sept. 11 attacks, Hingson and his wife Karen packed up their
belongings and moved from New Jersey to California. They moved to Novato
so Hingson could become the national spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind,
the San Rafael-based nonprofit that trained not only Roselle, but the four
guide dogs he relied on before her. "Michael is the quintessential spokesman
for Guide Dogs for the Blind," said Morry Angell, the group's publications
coordinator. "He's had guide dogs since he was 14 or 15 years old -- that's
a lifetime of dogs." As word of Hingson and Roselle's story spread, the
phone seemed to ring off the hook at Guide Dogs for the Blind. "People
were calling from all over the world," wanting to talk to Hingson, Angell
said. "We were taking up so much of his time, it was like, 'Why don't you
just come work for us?' He is a fantastic public speaker, and has had those
ambitions for years." Hingson, a former district sales manager for Quantum
Corp., is willing to retell his story as long as people want to hear it.
That's because he's not only spreading the word about what he sees as a
very worthy cause -- Guide Dogs for the Blind -- but because he
thinks everybody can benefit from the underlying lesson of his ordeal.
Hingson and Roselle's escape from the World Trade Center is not just the
story of one dog's loyalty or one man's courage, he says, but a tale that
demonstrates a universal truth: to get along in life, you've got to win
the trust of others -- and learn to put your trust in them. Hingson says
Sept. 11 wasn't the first time he depended on Roselle to make decisions
with life-and-death consequences. He trusts her with his life every time
the two step into a busy street. "The very fact that I use a guide dog
every day demonstrates that idea of trust," he said. "But it's a two-way
street -- dogs also put their trust in their partners. We've learned how
to do that. If people can trust animals, and animals can trust people,
people can trust each other, too." That's the message Hingson delivers
when corporations and other groups hire him as a motivational speaker.
The proceeds from his talks go to Guide Dogs for the Blind. Hingson is
in demand, because his aim isn't just to inspire people, but to help them
work together more effectively. "Trust is a very empowering thing," he
said. "People work better than when everybody is going their separate ways."
Hingson thinks that telling his story has made it easier, not harder, to
come to terms with the events Sept. 11, 2001. Hingson was in the north
tower when the first plane struck 16 stories above him. It was 5:46 a.m.
PDT when Roselle jumped up from a nap under Hingson's desk. In newspaper
stories and on television programs like CNN's "Larry King Live," Hingson
has recounted the trip down the stairs many times. Blind since birth, he
talks about the heat, the stench of jet fuel and the crush of people --
office workers going down, and firefighters going up. When they had reached
the 50th floor, Hingson guesses, the south tower was hit. It would remaining
standing for only 56 minutes. On the ground floor of the north tower, Roselle,
exhausted and thirsty, stopped for a moment to lap up some water from the
burst pipes. When the south tower came down, they ran for shelter in a
nearby subway station, Hingson issuing commands and Roselle leading the
way. "It's a team effort," he said. "Roselle's job is to guide, not know
where I want to go or how to get there." The trains weren't running
and, when they emerged from the subway, the north tower collapsed. It was
10:28 a.m. Man and beast made their way through the dense cloud of debris
to a friend of Hingson's in midtown Manhattan. Hingson and Roselle didn't
make it home to New Jersey until 7 p.m. "Could other teams do it? It depends
on the relationship and the bond," he said. "If the human part stays calm,
(the guide dog) is more likely to pay attention. It was remarkable she
was able to see and continue to guide. I think that's a miracle."
Hingson
said telling the story over and over again has helped, not hindered, his
ability to come to terms with the events of Sept. 11. "I see a lot of people
back in New York who can't talk about what happened. They haven't moved
forward from where they were -- they are still angry and dwelling on 9/11,"
he said. "We can't go back to the way things were before. Those who are
able to talk about it are able to move on." His willingness to speak --
and his skill at delivering a message -- has been a boon to Guide Dogs
for the Blind, Angell said. "People are so drawn by his story," she said.
"We are entirely dependent on donations to survive. In the aftermath of
Sept. 11, we didn't see our donations drop off the way a lot of non-profits
did. The attention he has received in the media -- you just can't buy that
kind of exposure to tell people about your mission." Guide Dogs for the
Blind needs more than just donations to carry out its mission, which is
to train guide dogs and provide them to the sight-impaired at no charge.
The group depends on volunteers to raise puppies, "socializing" them by
taking them to places ordinary dogs don't go. "We have puppy raisers in
eight western states who get the dogs ready for their formal training,"
Angell said. By the time the dogs arrive for 5-month training session in
San Rafael or Boring, Ore., they're used to riding on buses or sitting
quietly in a movie theater. "Imagine taking a pet dog into the grocery
store and expecting them to ignore the meat counter. Would that work? Probably
not," Angell said. Thanks to the volunteer puppy raisers, such behavior
is "old hat by the time they get here." Although Roselle has been honored
before -- past awards include the Dickin Medal, the "animals' Victoria
Cross," which is awarded by a British veterinary charity -- Hingson said
he's grateful to the American Kennel Society. "The AKC is doing a lot to
promote responsible pet ownership," he said. "We're looking forward to
seeing folks there." The 3rd Annual American Kennel Club's Awards for Canine
Excellence features winners in five categories -- law enforcement, search
and rescue, therapy, service, and exemplary companion dog. Roselle is this
year's winner in the service category. In addition to Roselle, the winner
in the search and rescue category, Topper, will be honored at the fairgrounds
Sunday (other dogs are being recognized at ceremonies closer to home).
Topper, who lives in Marina with owner Pat Grant, worked ground zero at
the World Trade Center and was also on the scene of the 1993 Oklahoma City
bombing. The award presentation will begin before group judging, in the
group ring, at about 4 p.m.
For
more information about Guide Dogs for the Blind, call (800) 295-4050, or
visit www.guidedogs.com on the Web. Donations may be mailed to P.O. Box
151200, San Rafael, CA 94915-1200.
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NOT
ALL HEROES ARE PEOPLE ~ ~
James
Crane worked on the 101st of Tower 1 of the WorldTradeCenter. He is blind
so he has a golden retriever named Daisy. After the plane hit 20 stories
below, James knew that he was doomed, so he let Daisy go, out of an act
of love. She darted away into the darkened hallway. Choking on the fumes
of the jet fuel and the smoke James was just waiting to die. About 30 minutes
later, Daisy comes back along with James' boss, who Daisy just happened
to pick up on floor 112. On her first run of the building, she leads James,
James' boss, and about 300 more people out of the doomed building. But
she wasn't through yet, she knew there were others who were trapped. So,
highly against James' wishes she ran back in the building. On her second
run, she saved 392 lives. Again she went back in. During this run, the
building collapses. James hears about this and falls on his knees into
tears. Against all known odds, Daisy makes it out alive, but this time
she is carried by a firefighter. "She led us right to the people, before
she got injured" the fireman explained. Her final run saved another 273
lives. She suffered acute smoke inhalation, severe burns on all four paws,
and a broken leg, but she saved 967 lives. The next week, Mayor Guilaini
rewards Daisy with the Canine medal of Honor
of
New York. Daisy is the first civilian Canine to win such an honor.
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Saturday,
September 22, 2001
Rescue
dogs suffer at site
Aftermath
of attacks wears on canines
By
Sheila McLaughlin = The Cincinnati Enquirer - (Michael
Snyder photo)
MONROE — Worf's decadelong career ended Sept. 13 when he lay down on a
pile of twisted steel and concrete on the south side of Manhattan. Stressed
and depressed from just three hours of work at the World Trade Center site,
the 12-year-old German shepherd from Monroe had to be permanently retired
from search-and-rescue duty, underlining that dogs, too, can be traumatized
by such a terrible scene. Mike Owens and search dog Worf of Monroe were
at ground zero in New York for two days, helping rescue efforts at the
World Trade Center site. “He kind of withdrew from everything,” said Mike
Owens, Worf's owner and a member of the Southwestern Ohio K-9 Search and
Rescue Team. “There was so much death there, it was emotional for the dogs.”
Mr. Owens and the canine spent two days in New York with five handlers
— Michelle Bubemyre, Steve Dunaway and Jamie Partee of Hamilton, and Doug
Combs and Joe Gabbard of Middletown — trying to locate survivors of the
Sept. 11 World Trade Center collapse. The team's other two German shepherds,
Frankie, a 6-year-old, and Fike, only 2, showed signs of stress, Mr. Owens
said. They were agitated and confused. They lost some of their spunk. But
nothing like Worf, who shut down the first day after helping locate the
body of a missing New York firefighter. Even though he is the search team's
most experienced canine, he began shedding profusely, quit eating and refused
to play with the other dogs. Mr. Owens knew something was wrong when Worf
signaled that he had found one more human scent in the rubble. The canine
gave his usual whine. He rooted around with his nose in the debris, trying
to inch closer to his discovery. Then, he lay down and curled up on the
spot. “It was a defense mechanism. They get real depressed. Search-and-rescue
is a game to them, a game of hide-and-seek,” Mr. Owens said. But their
work in New York was a far cry from the missions they were accustomed to.
Instead of finding live people, they were finding only the dead and body
parts, Mr. Owens said. One local veterinarian who offers pet behavioral
counseling as part of his practice said Worf's reaction isn't surprising.
“If the dog is working with his nose — and there are over 6,000 lost there
— the dog is getting those smells all over the place,” said Dr. Steven
Stratemeyer, of Evendale-Blue Ash Pet Hospital. “Can you imagine how stressful
that is for the dog to pick one body out out of all those smells? It's
overwhelming.” For all, even the human team members, this was their first
encounter with mass disaster. The closest Mr. Owens and Worf had ever come
was trying to locate the bodies of a family of eight that drowned at Lake
Cumberland in the early 1990s. A week after their return, Mr. Owens and
his human colleagues are headed to counseling, to help them deal emotionally
with their New York experience. “Several team members cried after
seeing the site the first day. There were a lot of tears on the way home,”
Mr. Owens said. At the same time, the canine handlers are trying to figure
out how to nurse the wounded psyches of their dogs. At the suggestion of
American Red Cross workers, the team plans to stage live search exercises
for Frankie and Fike, allowing them to make successful rescues to renew
their enthusiasm for their work. Worf is getting more than the usual attention
at home. “We have a lot of people around petting and playing with him,”
Mr. Owens said. “For Worf, that's the best therapy we can give him.”
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Search
and Rescue Dogs killed @ WTC: 0
"There
were rumors that one of the search and rescue dogs died
[mortally
wounded by falling debris, shot by his handler].
This
did not happen. One dog was injured and needed to be transported
to a local veterinary hospital, but the dog is expected to be ok." (Read
"Servus") Source: Terri Crisp,
Emergency
Animal Rescue Service
K-9
Police Dogs killed in WTC attack: 1
"Sirius",
the resident bomb-sniffing dog
at
the World Trade Center's Port
Authority
K-9 Unit was below ground level when the first plane hit.
His
handler, Officer David Lim, told Sirius
to
stay in an office as he ran up the emergency stairs to investigate.
Officer Lim was buried in the stairwell when the tower collapsed
but
was pulled from the heap by rescuers.
Sirius was never found.
UPDATE
Jan 29, 2002: Sirius, WTC Dog, Found in Rubble
Sources:
EARS, The Times, Dateline NBC
Companion
animals killed
in WTC attack: 2
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Guide
dogs to be honoured for twin towers rescue
-
online.ie 22 Feb 2002
Two
guide dogs who led their owners to safety minutes before the collapse of
the World Trade Centre are to receive an award dubbed the animal version
of the Victoria Cross. Omar Rivera and Michael Hingson were led down the
crowded stairs of the burning towers by their dogs Salty and Roselle on
September 11. Now the dogs, both yellow Labradors, are to be presented
with the Dickin Medal by Britain's top veterinary charity, the PDSA, for
their bravery. The rescue dogs who searched for survivors
at Ground Zero and at the Pentagon in Washington are also to be honoured
with the award. Marilyn Rydstrom , director general of PDSA, said:
"The tragic events of September 11 have shocked the world to its core.
The enormity of the human loss was almost too much to comprehend. "As a
charity devoted to the care of animals in Britain, PDSA could not ignore
the courageous work undertaken at that time by the many man and dog partnerships.
"The guide dogs overcame adversity to lead their owners to safety and the
search and rescue dogs worked tirelessly at Ground Zero and the Pentagon
to find life in the ruins." The Dickin Medal was instituted in 1943 by
the charity's founder Maria Dickin to recognise animals displaying "conspicuous
gallantry and devotion to duty" while serving with the Armed Forces and
civil defence units during the Second World War and its aftermath.
This is the first time the animals' Victoria Cross has been awarded for
activities outside the war. The medals will be presented to the gallant
dogs at a special ceremony at Ground Zero in New York on March 5.
Trainer,
4 rescue dogs honored
State
veterinary group lauds work of the Indiana Task Force One members at World
Trade Center site.
By
R. Joseph Gelarden
State
veterinary group lauds work of the Indiana Task Force One members at World
Trade Center site. 2/3/02
Anne
Trout brushed a tear from her eye Saturday when the Indiana Veterinary
Medical Association honored her and four Hoosier search and rescue dogs
for their valiant work seeking victims in the World Trade Center rubble.
But Kaiser,
a playful German shepherd, wasn't interested in the standing ovation from
1,000 animal experts cheering his heroism. Instead, the bright eyes of
the rescue canine seemed fixed on the slice of moist cheesecake, topped
with a bright red strawberry, that rested on a nearby plate. (His handler,
Tony Zintsmaster, offered Kaiser a carrot stick, which the dog promptly
spit out.) Mary Schmidt, a Pendleton area veterinarian who chairs the animal
welfare committee for the state group, called this year's awards to the
members of Indiana Task Force One "a no-brainer." Trout, the manager of
research at Methodist Hospital's Medical Research Institute and the team's
training director, was honored for her efforts to promote animal welfare.
Kaiser, Freddy, Polly and Scout were lauded as heroes -- animals that displayed
special courage. Although she was proud of the award, Trout used the occasion
to urge the public to help find better places to train the dogs. Currently
the teams, whose dogs are certified by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, train at two gravel pits. Trout said she wants to work her teams
at and around destroyed buildings and structures, similar to what they
will face at a disaster scene. "The ruins of Market Square Arena was a
perfect spot," Trout said. "But the city refused to let us train there.
They said it was too dangerous. "Think about it for a moment. The ruins
of Market Square Arena were too dangerous for us, then FEMA sent us to
Ground Zero to paw through the smoking and burning ruins of the World Trade
Center for nine days." The Hoosier rescue dog teams didn't find any survivors,
Trout said. "But we found some remains of the victims, and I hope that
helped bring some relief to their families."
Call R.
Joseph Gelarden at 1-317-272-4404
Study
will track health of dogs used to search after attacks
BY
ERIC STERN > Of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch > 10/20/2001 09:35
PM
E-mail:
estern@post-dispatch.com Phone: 314-340-8207
Up
to 350 search-and-rescue dogs that helped in the aftermath of the
terrorist attacks September 11 at the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon will be tracked by veterinarians over
the next three years to monitor their health and behavior. "These
dogs didn't have masks," said a University of Pennsylvania veterinarian,
Dr. Cynthia Otto, who is addressing the National Canine Health Conference
here today at the Airport Marriott Hotel. "We need to watch these
dogs." Otto is heading up the $100,000 study, which is funded by
Ralston Purina Co. and the AKC Canine Health Foundation. The dogs
suffered cuts and scrapes, but Otto is worried about long term problems
the dogs may face because of inhalation of smoke and dust - even asbestos.
She says she also is looking out for any psychological problems.
Otto worked at the collapsed World Trade Center site from midnight Sept.
11 through the week, working 12-hour shifts caring for the dogs'
medical needs, like flushing dust out of their eyes. Servus, a pure-bred
Belgian Malinois police dog from the Metro East area that helped with the
search-and-rescue efforts in New York, also will be at the conference.
Chris Christensen, the dog's handler and owner and a part time East Carondelet
police officer, retired the dog after Servus nearly lost his life
searching in the rubble. The animal fell face first down a hole and
into a pile of concrete dust and had to be carried out on a stretcher and
given oxygen and intravenous fluids. A study of 50 search-and-rescue
dog handlers who responded to the 1995 federal building bombing in Oklahoma
City suggested that some were intensely affected. Of the first 10 handlers
to arrive, seven have dropped out of search-and-rescue work. Otto's
study will focus on the animals, and she plans on using dozens of rescue
dogs that did not help after the terrorist attacks as a control group.
Feel
free to forward to other lists with author's permission. Thanks, Dr. Paul
McNamara. Date: 10/17/01
Subject:
ANTHRAX & K-9s
I've
spoken with some people @ CDC and the AVMA regarding anthrax and K-9s.
Unfortunately, there is very little information out there, but here is
some info: Dogs are 500 - 1000 times more resistant to Anthrax than people.
The most common form in dogs is the gastrointestinal form since most dogs
get anthrax by eating contaminated meat. I've told everyone that for working
dogs, the most common route would be inhalation (dogs searching mail, etc.).
There is some evidence that it is less likely for dogs to get inhalation
since most of the bacteria get stopped in their nose since it is so long.
The thought is that if the dogs get inhalation form, the signs would be
respiratory distress (breathing hard, acting very sick, bleeding from the
nose/mouth). If the dog gets to this level, death is very likely. Antibiotics
that work on anthrax in the dog include: Penicillin, oxytetracyclines,
and ciproflaxacin. Bottom line, if you think your dog was exposed, I'd
DEFINITELY start treatment while the item is being tested. As with a lot
of poisonings, the success rate is very high if you intervene early, there
is low risk treating even if its not anthrax and the prognosis is VERY
POOR if it is anthrax and you didn't treat BEFORE signs occur. I'll hopefully
get more info and pass it on.......
Paul
S. McNamara, DVM
DACVS
Veterinary Specialties Referral Center, 1641 Main Street, Route 5S
- Pattersonville, NY 12137
Ph:
518-887-2260 Fax: 518-887-2265
PS.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Website:
www.veterinaryspecialties.com email:
psm@veterinaryspecialties.com
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April
2, 2002
Prognosis:
Turning to Rescue Dogs for Warnings on Health
By
JOHN O'NEIL NY Times
The
health of the rescue dogs that searched the rubble of the Pentagon and
the World Trade Center will be intensively monitored in the hope that they
will serve as "sentinels," giving early warnings of the long-term consequences
for humans from exposure to toxins in the debris left by the terrorist
attacks. Dr.
Cynthia M. Otto of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary
Medicine arrived at ground zero on Sept. 11 and spent the next eight days
there as part of a rescue team. She is now leading a project that will
involve the regular examinations of about 100 dogs that worked in teams
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a control group of similar
dogs that did not participate. Researchers will also track the health of
about 150 other dogs that worked at the sites, and the mental health of
the dogs' handlers. Dr. Otto said the study could be particularly useful
if the dogs contract cancers, because many forms of it progress faster
in dogs than in humans. "What happens in five years in dogs may take 20
years in humans," she said. So far, she said, preliminary data from a round
of blood tests and X-rays meant to develop a base line of the rescue dogs'
health had found very few problems. "It's remarkable how well they've coped
with the dehydration and overwork they endured," Dr. Otto said. "The average
shift was 12 to 15 hours. That's not the way they're trained to work."
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NEW
Dog
statues to honor canine search teams
Wednesday,
June 26, 2002 - Associated
Press
NEW
YORK - Hundreds of life-size rescue dog statues - painted by local artists
and celebrities - will appear in front of police stations and firehouses
and elsewhere in Manhattan this summer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday.
"New York
City is grateful for the canine teams from across the country who responded
to the search and rescue efforts of Sept. 11," Bloomberg said. Three hundred
dog and handler teams from as far away as Washington, California, Texas,
Utah, and Puerto Rico participated in search and rescue missions following
the destruction of the World Trade Center. "These
dogs searched areas that were considered too dangerous for humans. They
worked up to 16 hours a day. They worked in the harshest of conditions,
and five lost their lives," Bloomberg said. "They inspired all of us with
their bravery and determination." The dog sculptures will be on display
from mid-August through November and will later be auctioned.
All net
proceeds will go to search and rescue organizations across the country
through the American Kennel Club companion Animal Recovery Corporation
Canine Support and Relief Fund.
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Growing
Demand for K-9s since WTC
"These
dogs are worth more than their weight in gold." unquote.
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