|
NEW YORK CITY,
N.Y. (USA) — As a rule, emergency rescuers don't hesitate to consider their
own hides. Sadly, there were 341 brave firefighters who died by
that credo in the Sept. 11 horror last year. And, not to be overlooked, just
as many dogs were just as eager to rush toward an uncertain fate for the sake
of duty.
Only one dog died in the
World Trade Center1, but the risks taken by each of the estimated 350
search-and-rescue (SAR) pooches were immense, nonetheless. They walked on
shattered glass, stuck their noses into concrete dust and crawled on their
bellies through cavities that even rats were too afraid to explore.
So what exactly is the price for such devotion?
Skin cancer, prostatitis, nerve damage and arthritis
are a few of the ailments that are dogging "Bear", a 12-year-old
Golden Retriever who sniffed through the rubble for three months.
But we'll get to Bear's story in a minute. First, let's hear the
facts agreed upon by most veterinarians and handlers.
"The University of Penn is
doing a study of the teams that worked the WTC and Pentagon," says Lynne
Engelbert, a rescuer with California
Task Force 4, "So we will
find out in about 3 years if there are any ill effects.
 "Lucy
(left) didn't have any issues at all. And she was 10½ years old at
the time. She worked the rubble like a puppy ... I know more of the
teams that worked either the WTC or the Pentagon and know of nothing so
far in any of them."
Indeed, if there's one indisputable point, it's that the ASPCA, Suffolk
County SPCA, VMAT and "doggy M*A*S*H" units took good care of
our four-legged helpers (and we can't overlook the TLC from a few
volunteer dog-chiropractors
on site who offered some professional back-rubs). But even with such
expert care,
our canine first-aid teams were not infallible.
For one, there's no accounting for the psychological trauma that
possibly could have affected some of the dogs. Fortunately, though, most
dogs who have been trained in disaster recovery were well prepared for the
"smell of death".
 As
Ms. Engelbert explains: "This is what Lucy and I train to do.
Although the site was massive and the devastation total, we were ready to
go to work and did so as soon as we could. ...finding the dead isn't
new to us. Although we would much prefer to find the living, helping
to bring closure for the families of the victims was also gratifying.
Knowing the families had 'something' definitive and could go on with their
lives brings a sense of accomplishment.
"Neither one of us have had
any emotional issues as a result of this deployment."
They all should be as sturdy. Some dogs—those less experienced
in human remains detection—experienced terrible
stress from the ordeal. At least one dog, a
12-year-old German
Shepherd named
"Worf", fell to pieces on his first day and had to be
permanently retired.
But aside from these obvious afflictions, it remains to be seen what
lingering, chronic affects could haunt our canine heroes in months or
years to come.
"They were covered in soot, asbestos," says John Stevenson,
president of North Shore Animal League America, operating a canine
treatment center at the WTC. "There were so many toxins that it’s
unreal more of them didn’t get sick.”
Let's take a look at one pooch (who was recently written into the
Guinness Book of Worlds Records as the "Most Celebrated Dog in the
World"), a WTC rescuer who's not holding up so well these days,
according to recent reports...
|
SCAM
ALERT! July 29, 2002
The second half of this story (below) has recently come under fire as
being a tear-jerking but untrue account of Scott Shields'
experience at the WTC with Bear (for cryin' out loud, that's what we get for believing CNN and the NY
Post). Please visit the update listed at the end of this story.
"Until this terrible tragedy [Sept. 11] he had never been sick a day
in his life," says Capt. Scott Shields about his partner
"Bear". Bear was among the first rescuers to respond at
the World Trade Center. (Photo: CNN)
"Am I
killing the only thing I really got left that I love in the world?"
Those were the words Capt. Scott
Shields uttered aloud as he walked into "Ground Zero" with his
canine half. But, like each of the SAR handlers, Capt. Shields
knew the risks and still pushed onward with his highly-experienced Golden
Retriever "Bear".
The team was operating with
Marine Safety Service, a private security company that helps guard New
York Harbor. In the months of recovery following 9/11, Bear helped
locate dozens of bodies, including that of beloved
FDNY Chief Peter Ganci, says the New
York Post. (And if the golden snout in the picture looks familiar, your eyes don't
deceive you; Bear has graced our pages more than once before. See WTC
Dogs Page 1 and the WTC
Yearbook.)
However, Bear's heroics came at
a price.
 "He
used to jump into my Suburban without a problem and now he sometimes falls
down when he tries—he doesn't have the strength," says Capt.
Shields. "...Bear's collapsing now."
(Photo: NY Post)
According to Bear's
veterinarian, Dr. Jennifer Chaitman, the ailing pooch has worsening
arthritis and a cancerous infection which are typical in aging dogs but
seem to have been exacerbated by Bear's rescue work at Ground Zero.
"Bear worked tirelessly
for months, and until this terrible tragedy he had never been sick a day
in his life," remarks Capt. Shields.
In January, in order to help
with the WTC dogs' healthcare, Veterinary Pet
Insurance (VPI - Anaheim, California) offered 300 free one-year policies to all
SAR dogs involved in the Sept. 11 efforts, including Bear. But last
week, Bear was denied coverage, based on the  assessment that his ills fell under the category of "old age disabilities"
that are not covered. Bear's unpaid veterinary bills amounted to
$3,000.
"This isn't personal,"
said VPI's vice president of claims Elizabeth Hodgkins last week.
"Bear just didn't meet the requirements."
So far, 71 owners have filed
claims for their dogs, Ms. Hodgkins said, and only five have been rejected.
But as soon as word leaked out
that "the WTC's first rescue dog" was hosed, a handful of
contributors stepped up, willing to cover the pooch's vet expenses and
provide lifetime medical care.
In the end, Dr. Jack Stephens,
CEO and founder of VPI, said he made a mistake and announced that his firm
will pay for Bear.
Dr. Chaitman says: "We all
have an obligation to these dogs. They really are like public servants and
we should take care of them."
§§§
UPDATE
Sep. 8, 2002
Strange But Untrue
Stories of the World Trade Center
§§§
Headlines
Prev  Next
|
