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| Tuesday, October 9, 2001
The World Trade Center's Heroic Rescue Dogs
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"It's been a hard day's night, and
I've been working like a dog."
— John Lennon / Paul McCartney
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NEW YORK CITY —
The last canine search-and-rescue team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) has
gone home this week, and while many of New York's finest K-9 cops will continue
working in the
ongoing recovery, the World Trade Center site is no
longer buzzing with some 350 SAR dogs as before.
Now that
the "search" effort has been downgraded to
"recovery", all of the "live-find" dogs have gone
home, and the overwhelming sense of loss at the WTC has never been so
heavily punctuated.
But no effort as dedicated as the month-long canine SAR campaign can be
hailed as anything less than triumphant
and resoundingly successful. The mettle shown by these dogs and
their human halves has affected the world in a way that should not be
underestimated. Big mutts, little mutts, German Shepherds, Golden
Labs, Black
Labs, Yellow Labs, Collies, Rotties, Spaniels—and even a few reports of feisty little
Dachshunds—have all reaffirmed
the humble honor associated with the old WWII term "dogface".
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Rescuers are homeward bound.
(Photo: Sep 29, 2001, Reuters /Jeff Christensen)
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"Cowboy", a FEMA-certified
Border Collie, is one of over 350 devoted dogs who lent their superhuman
senses to the search and rescue operations. Although many dogs like Cowboy are
not ready to call off the search, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and on-site veterinarians agree that SAR dogs are being exposed to
hazards and respiratory conditions that are unwarranted, now that the
"rescue" effort has been downgraded to "recovery".
(Photo: Sep 21, 2001, AP / Alan Diaz)
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"What counts is
not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight;
it's the size of the
fight in the dog."
— General Dwight D. Eisenhower |
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Above: A time to heal. Search dog "Kermit" is checked out by Dr. Kim
Rosenthal (right) at a "Doggy M*A*S*H" treatment center while
Kermit's partner, firefighter
Merlin Durhman (left), watches.
(Photo: Vince Maggiora / The SF Chronicle)
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Right: A little higher... Ooh, that's the spot! At the
base for FEMA Urban Search and Rescue in NYC, "Jake", a Black
Labrador Retriever, comes off the job and receives some pampering: an
adjustment by Randy Griffin, chiropractor sent by a church in Denison,
Texas. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
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Below: A city of grateful admirers applauds as a rescue dog and his
handler appear on 5th Avenue as guests of honor at the New York
City Columbus Day Parade.
(Photo: Oct 8, 2001, Reuters / Mike Segar)
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Above: At a somber ceremony held to honor
New
York's 341 lost firefighters, members of the Washington Task Force
One stand at attention in a moment of silence, and not a sound can be
heard throughout the entire site. "Old Glory" waves in the
background as "Old Yeller" sits in the fore. Perhaps
it's time for "baseball and apple pie" to make room for
different icons of staunch American patriotism. (Photo: Sep 26, 2001, Michael
Rieger / FEMA)
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Left: "Insee" (Thai for
"Eagle") gets a piggyback ride home from Louis and Amore
Wardoup. When the Wardoups heard of the WTC disaster, they
immediately telephoned the FBI and offered their assistance. After
driving 22 hours to New York City from Meaux, Louisiana, Louis and Insee
scoured the wreckage, leading rescue workers for 2 weeks. Insee
found no survivors but was able to recover many of the dead.
(Photo: Bryan Tuck / Capital City Press)
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"He was a great,
big guy, and he was just bawling. He was crying like a baby.
He couldn't talk, but he mouthed the words:
'Thank
you. Thank you—and thank the dog.' "
— Louis Wardoup, volunteer, describing how his partner Insee
(above) unearthed the hand of a firefighter in front of his FDNY comrades. |
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Two Golden Retriever SAR dogs receive a
Presidential "Good dog!" from George W. Bush. For all
their noble efforts, their indispensable support and immediate
readiness in this unexpected crisis, the dogs have certainly
not gone unappreciated. But to them, that's all just
part of the job of being a dog. (Photo: Michael Rieger / FEMA News)
As the massive canine SAR campaign
comes to a close and full honors are bestowed upon the worthy
participants, the question we all wonder is: how much did they
sacrifice, and how many dogs died in the World Trade Center disaster?
There are many rumors and conflicting reports, as is
the case with any holocaust of this magnitude, but official word stands
as follows:
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Search and Rescue Dogs Killed: 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: 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: 2
One Yorkie suffered a fatal heart attack, according to
United Animal Nations spokesperson Pam Runquist, and one cat
who'd had serious medical problems prior to September 11 died
from the stress. Although there have been injuries,
"the consensus among the animal groups was that all the
animals within the evacuated area had been located and removed
from their homes. There is always the possibility that
some animals might not have been found, but that number would be
extremely small."
Source: Terri Crisp, EARS |
They offered their assistance from all across the U.S.,
from Puerto Rico and
Canada, as far as British
Columbia (and even one from Bordeaux,
France), and each one deserves a world of admiration—as 16th century playwright Ben
Jonson once wrote: "I do honour the very flea of his dog."
To all the canines who gave their noses
and hearts to soothe the wound of a nation: welcome home.
Words cannot express enough gratitude (maybe tail wags can).
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