9/11 Rescue Dogs

By: Anna Dunlap

Edited by: Grace Pilkay

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On 9/11, thousands of firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the attacks. Included within those response teams were more than 300 specialized dog search and rescue teams. These dogs were trained to search and detect the scent of living humans, their mission was to find survivors buried in the rubble. The last living person from Ground Zero was rescued by one of these dogs. These dogs went through a very hard time during 9/11, because as stated, they were trained to find living humans. The fact is, there were so few who survived the collapse that the dogs actually became depressed and felt as if they were not doing a good job. Unfortunately, it affected them for the rest of their lives.

Bretagne, a golden retriever, was 2 when she was called to the World Trade Center site. She spent 10 days searching the rubble for human remains. She is known to be the last surviving dog from 9/11, she died in 2016 when she was 16. Another dog, Apollo, and his handler Peter Davis arrived at the South Tower 15 minutes after its collapse. He was the first rescue dog to arrive at the tower. He looked for survivors 18 hours a day for weeks. On March 5, 2002, he received the Dickin Medal for his bravery and tireless effort following the attacks. He also received the American Kennel Club Ace award in 2001 and he was honored for his work at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show of 2002. Most of the dogs that worked during 9/11 were so affected by it that they could not work anymore because of the tragedy and devastation. Their legacy will go on as some of the bravest heroes during the tragedy of 9/11.