911 memorial ground zero dog rescue

NEW YORK CITY (USA) — The post-9/11 recovery will always be remembered for its spirit, its dedication and—to those who know it intimately—its dogs. Wherever you may find yourself today on the anniversary, remember the victims, remember the unity, and remember to say a prayer for the pups.

Revisiting a place they'll never forget,
FEMA US&R Task Force 1 members "Hawk" and Cathy Schiltz take a moment to reflect at Ground Zero in New York, which they haven't seen since last September. Hawk, an Australian Shepherd, never found any survivors, only the remains of dozens of victims. Says Ms. Schiltz: "Sometimes he would look at me as if to say, 'Sorry.' " (Photo: Lauren Hobart / FEMA)

Big dogs (left) and little dogs (below) contributed in big ways.
In a disaster response of unprecedented magnitude, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed 25 of its 28 nationwide task forces to the WTC and the Pentagon. In all, there were 80 FEMA-certified dogs at work. The effort was joined by the NYC Police K9 Corps, as well as some 300 search dogs from around the country. And don't make the mistake of overlooking the Port Authority dogs, airport security dogs and therapy dogs who contributed immeasurably.

A wall of red, white and blue honors those killed aboard United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers and crew overpowered the hijackers and sacrificed themselves to avert a much greater disaster, possibly aimed at Capitol Hill or the White House on September 11th, 2001. Yesterday, United Airlines flight attendant Carol Wood, Red Cross Volunteer Patty Dershem, and "Star", a Red Cross dog remembered their loved ones. (Photo: Dan Loh / AP)

These two were not at "the pile", but their sentiments were.
This fantastic photograph, often mistaken for a Ground Zero picture, is not from the WTC but has its own amazing story of human-canine heroics. In 1999, firefighters saved this pregnant Dobie from a house fire in Charlotte. This is how a dog says "thanks." (Humans, don't try this at home.)
(Photo: Patrick Schneider / The Charlotte Observer)

"A fire fighter from Brooklyn approached me since I was wearing a K-9-11 T-shirt provided by a neighbor and fire fighter buddy. The Brooklyn fire fighter asked me if I was a fire fighter. I told him I was a volunteer K-9 handler with Hal Wilson on September 12th at WTC. The guy broke down, telling me how much of a morale booster the dogs were on the pile. 'One came up and licked me, as if to say, I understand how you feel.'

"Then he walked away, teared up, couldn't talk any more. This guy was so big and strong he could lift a car."

Message from Paul Morgan (and "Cody Bear"), Sep. 1, 2002.