Here's a salute to the rescue dogs of 9/11

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STL Today

By Sarah Casey Newman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

When we remember the heroes of 9/11, we must not forget the courageous canines who tunneled tirelessly through burning rubble in search of victims of America's worst terrorist attack. Who dug undaunted through millions of tons of debris to detect infinitesimal human remains. Who returned dog-tired at the end of long shifts and still found the strength to comfort rescuers in need of their touch.

Nona Kilgore Bauer has not forgotten these four-footed patriots. The award-winning writer salutes them in her latest book, "Dog Heroes of September 11th: A Tribute to America's Search and Rescue Dogs" (Kennel Club Books, 232 pages, $29.95).

A lush, coffee-table compendium with more than 250 compelling, color photographs, the book shines a spotlight on 78 amazing animals, whose handlers recount their dogs' noble efforts in the aftermath of 9/11.

Bauer introduces canines who came from across the country to the World Trade Center, to the Pentagon - and to the lesser-known Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, where the wreckage from the Twin Towers was hauled. The debris was sifted through by more than 60 canines, affectionately dubbed "dump dogs" by the rescue crews.

Although June was one of the first search and rescue dogs to arrive in Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 went down, she never worked the site. No dogs did. " 'There was simply nothing there, just a huge hole in the ground,' " June's handler recalled.

June is not among the 78 stars that Bauer highlights with their own special "portraits in courage." But she is one of the many often-overlooked search dogs that Bauer salutes as she opens a window onto the world of these indispensable canines - from who they are, to the types of jobs they do, to the intense training they endure to become members of this elite breed class.

In addition, the author applauds the veterinarians and vet techs who volunteer for the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT), which provide on-site care for both the rescue dogs and the animals that are rescued during disasters.

She also gives a nod to DOGNY, the collection of painted rescue-dog statues displayed by the American Kennel Club on the first anniversary of 9/11 as a tribute to these four-footed heroes.

In a chapter devoted to an ongoing study on health problems associated with the dogs of 9/11, Bauer notes that no statistical difference in the mortality rates of 9/11 and non-9/11 dogs has been found, nor is there any clear evidence of adverse medical or behavioral problems. But, she stresses, researchers have cautioned that it may still be too soon to draw such conclusions.

Another chapter highlights the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, a nonprofit organization that recruits dogs from shelters and breed rescue groups, trains the dogs in search and rescue, then pairs them with firefighters and other first responders at no cost.

Sales from "Dog Heroes of September 11th" benefit the foundation, which you can learn more about at www.searchdogfoundation.org.

Three dogs profiled by Bauer have local connections:

Dutch: A Portuguese water dog with Missouri Task Force 1 and Gateway Search Dogs, this cadaver-wilderness search expert lives for search work, according to owner Connie Millard, who spent 11 days with him at the World Trade Center. The actual work of searching the pile didn't bother Dutch. "It was the resting and waiting that took their toll," she said.

Max: A German shepherd with Missouri Task Force 1 and Marion County, Max worked at Ground Zero with Annette Zintsmaster and her husband, Tony, along with Kaiser, also a German shepherd - making them one of only two or three family teams to work at the site, according to Bauer. Max was always ready to search, even as a game, and always ready to be petted, which was as comforting to him as it was to the rescuers, Zintsmaster recalled.

Hawk: An Australian shepherd belonging to Cathy Schiltz of Missouri Task Force 1. "Hawk is cross-trained for human-remains detection as well as live find, so he was eager to search regardless of the task," Bauer writes. During his week at Ground Zero, he earned such a reputation as an alert dog that his 12-hour shifts usually stretched to 14 and 16 hours. "I do think Hawk is a hero," Schiltz said. But, she added, echoing the sentiments of so many of the handlers, "he was just doing his job.'"