25 years ago, amidst the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, thousands of lives were changed forever. Alongside the selfless first responders who ran head first towards danger, an estimated 300 specially trained dogs also worked tirelessly. Aiding in recovery efforts, police work, therapy work, and providing a source of comfort for first responders, these K9s are often referred to as the Hero Dogs of 9/11. Each year, we remember and honor the lives lost, changed, and incredible rescue efforts of both humans and dogs.
Special Dogs for Important Jobs
Each dog that stepped onto Ground Zero was specially trained to do a specific job.
Search & Rescue (SAR) K9s were trained to detect the scent of living humans and search large, unstable areas of debris. They climbed over rubble, entered spaces too small for people, and in some cases were lowered into areas by their handlers.
Police K9s assisted police officers with law-enforcement duties. They also helped with searching at the disaster site.
Human Remains Detection Dogs were brought in as the operation shifted from rescue to recovery. These dogs were trained to detect human decomposition scent, and they searched the enormous debris fields, alerting their handlers when they located human remains.
Therapy Dogs provided physical comfort and emotional support to rescue workers, families and others affected by the attacks. Their job could be as simple as sitting beside someone, allowing them to pet the dog, or giving someone a brief break from the incredibly traumatic environment.
The Dogs of 9/11
From searching the rubble for survivors and human remains to supporting exhausted first responders, these dogs worked alongside their handlers through some of the darkest days in American history. Here are just a few of their stories.
Bretagne
From Texas Task Force 1, Golden Retriever Bretagne (pronounced “Brittany”), arrived at Ground Zero on September 12th and worked 12 hours a day for two weeks straight alongside her handler, Denise Corliss. This was her first deployment as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Being one of the few dogs who could navigate the rubble without a leash, Bretagne searched tight crevices, dark spaces, climbed ladders and debris piles, all while sniffing through the rubble to find victims.
Bretagne also served as a comfort for firefighters searching the site. “A lot of times, firefighters would come by and pet her, talk to her and tell her stories,” said Denise Corliss.
After 9/11, Bretagne continued to aid in disaster relief. She responded to hurricane Katrina and hurricane Rita, where she navigated flooded areas to find people who could not evacuate. She was the oldest living 9/11 hero dog when she passed away at 16 years old in 2016.
Trakr
Retired Police K9 Trakr the German Shepherd and his handler, James Symington, drove down from their home in Nova Scotia to help with rescue efforts in New York City. Under 30 feet of rubble and debris, Trakr alerted to the last known survivor of the 9/11 attacks. He continued to scour the rubble for two more days, before collapsing from smoke inhalation and returning home to Canada.
Because of his heroic act, Time Magazine named him one of history’s most heroic animals. Trakr and his handler were also presented with the "Extraordinary Service to Humanity" award by Dr. Jane Goodall in 2005.
Riley
Known for being in one of the most famous photos taken during 9/11 rescue efforts, Riley the 4 year old Golden Retriever was part of FEMA Pennsylvania’s Task Force 1. As shown in the infamous photo of Riley above, he was often sent to hard to reach areas without his handler, Chris Selfridge, to search for survivors. In this case, Riley was working through the remains of the North Tower and can be seen being transported in a Stokes Basket (a basket stretcher used to rescue people) strapped in with harnesses, and pulled by a rope trolley system high above Ground Zero.
While Riley was trained to find live people, he instead aided in finding the remains of several fallen firefighters, helping bring closure to families and crew mates. Though Riley was a FEMA Search & Rescue dog, he, like other dogs, also served as an unofficial emotional support dog for first responders who needed comfort.
Riley passed away as a hero at age 13 in 2010.
Cowboy
FEMA-Certified from Utah Task Force 1, black-and-white border collie Cowboy spent nearly two weeks at Ground Zero with his handler, Dave Richards. His export training and skills meant he was able to quickly get to work alongside other teams to search. However, Cowboy experienced some challenges within the incredibly tough environment, like sensory overload, that caused him to leave the wreckage and require medical attention and rest.
Richards was confident that Cowboy was fit for the job, and thanks to his love for his handler - and a squeaky toy - he returned to work and never looked back.
After completing their work in New York City, Cowboy and Dave Richards returned to Utah. Cowboy continued his career in search & rescue, assisting in various missions, including the 2003 search for kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart.
Sunny
This 95lb Doberman Pinscher and his handler Shirley Hammond, from California Task Force 3 out of Menlo Park, California, made their way to Ground Zero on September 19th. Sunny was trained to bark at live finds, but Hammond said that she believed his previous, yet minimal, exposure to cadaver scent had somehow stuck with him - which was evident as he began pawing the ground to uncover victims who had not survived.
“A fire battalion chief had actually called for a cadaver dog,” recalls Sunny’s handler, Shirley Hammond. “And when I got there, he said, ‘Is this a cadaver dog?’ and I said, ‘No, this is a live-find dog.’ He was not pleased. Then he said, ‘Well, since you’re here, why don’t you run your dog over this area and see what you can find?’”
Hammond shares that Sunny searched the area and he kept going back to this one spot where the rescue folks had been cutting the metal. She thought that he was working the residual scent from the live workers.
“I called Sunny to come and he started, then he turned around and he went back over and started pawing the ground. Then he turned and looked at me,” she says. “And this battalion chief said, ‘Well, what’s your dog doing?’ And I just said, ‘I think you need to investigate that spot. He’s not a cadaver dog but he’s telling us there’s something there.’ Then later that day, one of the firefighters came up and put his hand on my shoulder. He said, ‘Sunny was right. We got our brother.’”
Sunny and Shirley searched for 11 days in the wreckage and rubble, stepping up despite not being a cadaver trained team.
Boosting Morale in Hard Times
Retired NYPD detective Michael Saxe says the scene at Ground Zero was surreal. Saxe spent 30 days doing search and rescue at Ground Zero, and recalls that it was hard on first responders, and also on the dog who were hard at work.
Because many of the K9s at Ground Zero were trained to find living survivors, some began to struggle when no survivors were located.
“We had to bring their morale up," Saxe said. "So we would hide and they could find us. And you’d actually see a complete change in their demeanor from depressed to happy because they finally found somebody.”
These small moments of encouragement from first responders helped keep the dogs motivated, giving a sense of purpose when the reality of their work became overwhelming, just as petting the dogs did for them.
A Legacy of Service
The stories of these hard working dogs and their handlers are a reminder of the extraordinary courage, resilience, and loyalty that working teams bring to the most difficult moments in our history. Searching in unstable rubble, comforting those who needed it while on the job, and working tirelessly alongside their handlers through unimaginable circumstances. 25 years later, their work at Ground Zero remains a powerful part of the history of September 11th, and a lasting tribute to the remarkable human and canine first responders who answered the call when they were needed most.
Today, and everyday, we remember and honor the lives lost, lives changed, and the incredible rescue personnel and K9s of 9/11.