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STORIES
OF COURAGE AND HOPE
by
Debra Nickelson, DVM, MBA
The
special bond between people and their rescue dogs
played an essential role in the days following the September 11
World Trade Center disaster in New York. From all over the United
States,
highly trained rescue dogs and their handlers soon arrived to the site.
Although most of these dogs had previously worked to find people
trapped by avalanches, earthquakes, or other natural disasters, no
one could have predicted the immense number of people
affected by the mass destruction at Ground Zero.
Trained
to find both living and dead bodies, the rescue dogs
exhibited an untiring willingness to search. Trained to search until
they
found survivors, the dogs did not want to stop searching until they
found someone. The rescue dogs took their work so seriously,
that some of the showed signs of stress when they could not find a living body.
Since
an overwhelming scent of dead bodies penetrated the
area, many dogs acquired the scent of dead bodies on themselves.
They would become frustrated trying to find living bodies.
The rescue dogs worked better after the veterinary teams
washed the scent off of them. Sometimes a dog handler hid
another handler in piles of boxes or clothing and let the dogs find
that person. Finding a living person gave the dogs a sense of
accomplishment and inspired them to work even harder.
In
all of their tedious efforts, no dogs died and no one
suffered broken bones. One dog, Jac, found a living survivor
and identified the locations of several bodies, including two NYC
firemen. While he worked to find the bodies, Jac became ill from
inhaling fumes and debris, and injured from falling through some of
the debris. Jac's owner wanted to bring him to his regular
veterinarian for treatment. With the help of the Connecticut State
Police escort, it only took Jac's handler fifty five minutes to reach
the Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts,
where he responded well to treatment. Jac was back on the job three days
later.
Ammo,
A German Shepherd from FLorida had about 200
different finds on his resume of past work.
He worked with his handler for almost 48 hours and then
collapsed at the scene from shock, dehydration, and exhaustion.
Fortunately he recovered well with treatment.
Wuss,
a dog from St. Louis fell face first into a pile of dust in a hole.
The thick dust clogged up both of his nostrils and his mouth.
He almost died but was resuscitated and recovered.
Most
of the dogs required fluid therapy, oxygen, eyewash,
ear care, wound care, and baths from the volunteer veterinary teams.
All of the handlers appreciated that their dogs were being cared for,
as they sought medical attention for the dogs instead of themselves.
(Sources:
Veterinary Practice News and DVM Newsmagazine).
(Editor's note: Dr. Nickelson is a veterinarian with
Scheing-Plough Animal Health in New York. In charge of
their equine product line, she additionally provides technical
service to United States veterinarians. Dr. Nickelson works
and lives...different directions...fifteen miles from Manhattan.
She recently sent an article from Veterinary
Business,
Winter 2001, entitled, "Man's best Friends. Find Out Who Theirs
Are,"
by Dennis M. McLaughlin. He wrote, "...Police, fireman,
priests,
co-workers and passengers displayed courage that will inspire us for
years to come. But there were other heroes, too, and they came in a
variety of breeds. With breed names like Australian and German
Shepherd, Doberman Pinscher, Labrador and Golden Retriever,
Beauceron herding dog, to name a few, these canine
workers were as diverse as the people who perished in the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon and on board the doomed flights.
In the same sense, these dogs were as multi-cultured as those
who tried to rescue and recover their fellow humans. In other words,
they reflected the make-up and spirit of the United States. In all,
about 350 specially trained rescue dogs answered the call to work
12-hour shifts..." According to a story in the Wall Street Journal
by
Jared Sandberg, this "...is believed to be the largest canine deployment
ever.").
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"Make a friend for life!"