NEW YORK CITY, NY (USA)
Sep. 11, 2006
It was the largest deployment of search dogs in U.S. history and possibly the single greatest example of inter-species cooperation in the history of human disasters.
More than 350 dogs lent their snouts to 9/11 search-and-rescue (SAR) efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Approximately 100 were deployed by FEMA, and the remaining 250 included SAR dogs from around the country, NY police dogs, security dogs and volunteers who rushed to the scene as soon as it happened.
No accurate count has been made of all the furry heroes who were there, and we have even less of an idea of their current whereabouts.
The University of Pennsylvania is conducting an ongoing study on the health of 9/11 SAR dogs; however their data is limited to 97 subjects, and while it provides us with valuable statistical information, it can hardly honor the hundreds of others who remain unnamed.
Still, it's a start. Of those 97 dogs who participated in the Penn study, 29 (29.9%) are no longer with us. Twelve (41%) have died of cancer, 2 were struck and killed by cars, and the remaining 15 died by unspecified causes.
It is important to note that the Penn study has found no immediate link between the dogs' deaths and their exposure to the 9/11 disaster sites. These numbers are consistent with mortality rates for all canines in general.
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