Moving further over and under the visible parts of the vehicle, his nose now powdered with dust, Charlie began padding on the ground. The men listened hard for noise from beneath the rubble for an indication of life from their colleagues. But the second call for a body bag removed all hope of that. With two bodies located and in such extreme condition, it was clear to the rest of the crew that hope was fading for the others. Suzanne noticed that Charlie was in need of water and that his eyes were clouding with the dust. She reached for a bottle of water, but before she could pull it free of her bag, one of the fire fighters had his canteen ready, and, pouring the water into a colleague’s hand, they offered the dog a much-needed drink.
Charlie worked beyond the call of duty those first few hours he was on the pile. If there was any chance of finding life, it was then. FEMA was aware that the work of the search-and-rescue teams was going to be vital, particularly in the early phase of the operation, and issuing a nationwide call for dog teams to come forward resulted in a massive response from all over the United States of America.
Police task forces from as far away as California answered the call, and those living locally began the trek into the city. For two Vietnam veterans and their dogs, Tsunami and Cody Bear, the journey in from Long Island was made without question. When asked why he volunteered for the search at Ground Zero, Major Paul Morgan, a retired US Marine, replied: ‘Duty. Honour. Country.’
Healing for the Heroes
On Tuesday 11 September, the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) received a call from the New York City K-9 units assigned to rescue at the World Trade Center. It was a desperate call for the Suffolk County SPCA MASH unit to report to Ground Zero immediately to provide veterinary care to the brave and exhausted rescue dogs working on the pile.
By 6 p.m. the unit was set up on West Street, two blocks away from Ground Zero and in the heart of the aftermath. Six law-enforcement agents had escorted the MASH unit through the chaos to ensure its safe passage and so that the staff could set up as soon as possible. As the fully equipped mobile treatment centre arrived on site, it entered a different world. The acrid smoke, loud sirens and cries of panic and fear created one of the most chaotic scenes any member of the team had ever witnessed. There was no doubt that they needed to get to work.
Calls went out to Long Island veterinarians. The New York Veterinary Hospital and the Animal Medical Center returned the call, and right away veterinarians and vet technicians were placed on twelve-hour schedules, starting at 6 p.m. Using police radio bands, the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was advised of the unit’s location and purpose – to provide immediate medical care to all rescue dogs and pets in the vicinity. A self-contained hospital with an operating theatre, the MASH unit was equipped to handle all veterinary emergencies. But this was far beyond a state of emergency.
That evening, dog rescue teams from the metropolitan area were the first on the scene. The dogs had worked continuously with only breaks for water since arriving at Ground Zero, and they only left the pile when the handlers and the dogs were on the verge of collapse.
Dehydration was the main enemy of the search dog, and the MASH unit was equipped with massive amounts of intravenous fluid. Even though more dogs were arriving to search, all the teams were set to work twenty-plus hours on the pile. It was a race against time and the dogs were their best hope.
By Thursday more help had arrived. Supplies came in and tents were put up to protect the veterinary staff from the rain. Four stations for washing and treating dogs were put in place. Four vets and four vet technicians were working full-time, examining and treating these courageous animals.
The first two days were brutal …
Brave Dogs Will Not Rest
John Charos had booked a day’s leave for 9/11. He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near New York that day. But as fortune would have it, this veterinarian was home watching the news on television. When the call came in he was determined to offer help. Dr Charos added supplies to his veterinarian’s bag, got into his car and drove towards the city. When he arrived the scene that met him looked, in his own words, ‘like the end of the world’.
Abandoning his car on the edge of the impact zone, he began to walk towards Ground Zero and into the ash cloud that had fallen over Lower Manhattan. Everywhere he looked people sat dazed and confused by the scenes they had witnessed. There were people from apartments close to the World Trade Center wandering around clutching their pets for security and strength. Dr Charos checked the pets over as he passed through, and at the same time comforted the owners.
The MASH unit operation was underway, and already a number of the Ground Zero heroes were being checked over. The handlers were keen to make sure their dogs were OK, but at the same time eager to get back to work. By their terms, the longer they spent off the pile the less chance they had of locating a person alive. Dr Charos was straight away part of the nation’s hope: ‘The love of a dog for its skills in the service of humanity is one thing, but respect for a dog as a partner in the face of extreme adversity is something extraordinary. What I witnessed was love and devotion and determination in the bond between the handlers and their dogs. The feeling and emotion was so evident you could almost touch it.’
Day two dawned and the fires were still burning beneath Ground Zero. Volunteer canine search teams were joining the police and fire-service dogs who had been working a twelve- to fifteen-hour stretch. Injured, dehydrated and exhausted, they worked on. By day three the rescue teams were still hearing the electronic locators worn by the buried fire fighters bleeping from under the ruins.
By this time the veterinarians and tech staff at the MASH unit were not only dealing with fatigued animals; they were also seeing burns and blistered feet as a result of the heat on the pile. Protective boots were issued immediately, but not all the dogs could work in them, and for some they were an uncomfortable distraction. Another new problem was canine stress. For dogs trained to find life, this was a very depressing and frustrating time. Without life, there is no reward for these highly skilled and deeply instinctive dogs.
Day four – the city was being wallpapered with the images of people lost and missing, and the names of the dead were being declared. For the dogs, this was no longer a rescue operation.
Carrying a Nation’s Hope
No one could ever have anticipated the massive amount of support that would be required for the logistical operation of the canine search teams to accomplish the mission at the World Trade Center. Suffolk County SPCA Incident Commander Gerry Lauber took the initial call from the NYPD K-9 unit requesting support for the search-and-rescue dogs at Ground Zero and offered an immediate response. ‘No one could believe what they saw when we arrived at the site. Many described it as close to a war zone or world’s end. One thing that was very clear was that there was no time to waste. The search-and-rescue dogs were on site and they needed our help. If they were going to find anyone alive then we needed to provide essential veterinary support.’
Within five days the Suffolk County SPCA had set up ten fully functioning work stations supported by a veterinarian and a vet technician, and for forty days the MASH unit provided on-site care not only for the dogs, but for the pets of those evacuated from the nearby apartments.
Chief of Department Roy Gross said: ‘Local residents from local apartments who left their pets behind when the buildings were evacuated sought our help too. Security at the pile was extremely tight, which limited what we could physically achieve in terms of rescuing pets, but the circumstances were so extreme and the Suffolk County SPCA were the only humane agency allowed on the site, so we did what needed to be done.’
In addition to the active involvement with the treatment of the search-and-rescue dogs – providing over 700 treatments to more than 300 dogs – the staff of the MASH unit also rescued over thirty pets and gave them medical assistance. One cat was rescued after eighteen days of isolation in the debris.
And all the time, the dogs were on duty.
Canine Therapy
‘I can’t cry in front of my fellow officers, but I can cry in the presence of a dog. He won’t judge me. He won’t deride me or think me stupid. He will just look into my eyes and know what I’m thinking and feel what I’m feeling. This is the power of a dog’s unconditional love.’ A police officer desperate to find a colleague lost in the debris of Ground Zero slumps into exhaustion. He moves away from the site, just for a while, and joins a nearby fire crew sitting together in silence. Forced to retire from the scene for a short break, they see one of the rescue dogs approaching with his handler. The police officer drops to his knees and holds out his arms to the dog. As if he knows exactly what the man needs from him, the dog moves forward and licks the man’s face. Enveloped in the man’s arms, the dog dutifully sits and stays. He is there for as long as the man needs to cry and reach out for comfort.
Any dog lover will tell you that when you need unconditional love most of all, a dog will sense it and provide it without question. For the emergency services working at Ground Zero and the Pentagon, the dogs were not only a constant symbol of hope on site; they became a source of therapy too. For the hurt and the loss that could not be expressed in words to another human being, there were the dogs, always ready to absorb the emotion and blot out the trauma. As one fire fighter said: ‘When you cry on a dog’s shoulder he just absorbs the tears and says everything by saying nothing.’
Remembering the Loved and the Lost
As companion or protector, whether providing a skilled service or serving as a lovable mascot, a dog will always give more of itself than first meets the eye – more than any person could promise in courage, loyalty and love.
Dogs are the eternal levellers, the non-judgemental friend. They are capable of displaying a quality of character that distinguishes the extraordinary from the ordinary, providing comfort where there is pain, and calm where there is confusion.
But a dog really comes into its own when the chances of survival are against all the odds, and only the brave and the devoted and those prepared to go beyond the call of duty will stand as heroes among the many.
Whether dogs are aware of their courage or not does not really matter. On 11 September 2001 and during its aftermath they provided practical support in the field as a result of their training, and gave those involved spiritual support as well. To many, their warmth matched their truth and integrity. The courage of these special dogs is boundless.
On the morning of the canine bravery ceremony in March 2002, I saw three dogs step forward in the company of many others to receive the highest reward for their courage on 9/11. Guide dogs Salty and Roselle stepped up to have their medals placed around their necks. And veteran search dog Appollo accepted the large bronze medal on behalf of the entire team of more than 300 dogs and handlers who risked all during their time at Ground Zero.
Applause echoed through the cold and over the waterfront. Watching the ceremony were many of the veterinarians who had treated the dogs during their time on site, employees of the World Trade Center and Port Authority, and the friends and family of the men saved by their guide dogs. All these people were brought together in that place, on that morning, to honour their heroes – the dogs that saved them in so many ways.
As everyone left the presentation and made their way to Ground Zero to pay their respects, I noticed people reach for each other. Hands were held. Arms were placed on shoulders. Hugs were given as tears fell. For many, this was the first time they had been back to the site since that terrible day in September 2001. They were going back there to honour the dogs: the dogs who had saved their lives or inspired them to keep going. The dogs of Ground Zero would be their forever heroes.
On that September morning, New York stood still and nearly 3,000 human lives were lost. It was one of the most horrific events in global history – and dogs played their part in the face of human tragedy. The dogs went in to bring life out, and the authorities knew that, if it was there, the dogs would find it. For hours and days after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers the search-and-rescue dogs carried a nation’s hope on their backs and worked as if they knew it.
As one New York firefighter said:
‘The dogs who saved their life rescued their soul from despair and inspired them not to give up or give in.’
These were the dogs of 9/11.
Also by Isabel George
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The 9/11 Dogs: The heroes who searched for survivors at Ground Zero (HarperTrue Friend – A Short Read) Page 4