service dogs

Nearly 100 Dogs Worked at the Trade Center Ten Years Ago; only 12 are left.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Thank you to Susan for sending me these wonderful photos and stories about these very special hero dogs.  I hope this warms your heart today as much as it did mine.

 

THESE OLD WONDERFUL FACES SAY IT ALL…

These are the surviving dogs that worked the trade center that are still alive but
retired, they are heroes too, their eyes say everything you need to know about
them. Just amazing creatures True heroes of 9/11 still with us today…

Moxie, 13, from Winthrop , Massachusetts , arrived with
her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the
evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days.

Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts , arrived at the
World Trade Center on the night of the 11th. The dog
and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for eight days.

Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, was deployed
to the World Trade Center on September 11 and searched tirelessly for
people in the rubble.

Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at
the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days.

 

Guinness, 15, from Highland , California , started work at the site with Sheila McKee
on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days.

Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to Ground
Zero on September 24, working the night shift for five days.

 

Red, 11, from Annapolis , Maryland , went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon
from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines.

 

Abigail, above, was deployed on the evening of September 17,
searching for 10 days while Tuff arrived in New York at 11:00
pm on the day of attack to start working early the next day.

Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to
the World Trade Center from their home in Denver
on September 24 and searched for five days.

Scout and another unknown dog lie among the rubble at Ground Zero,
just two of nearly 100 search and rescue animals who helped to search
for survivors. During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000
people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave
owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.

Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have
been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled ‘Retrieved’.
The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble,
along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public.

Traveling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland , Dutch
photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their
twilight years in their homes where they still live with their handlers, a full
decade on from 9/11. Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called
Retrieved. Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs
Charlotte wanted ‘Retrieved’ to mark not only the anniversary of the
September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first
responders and their dogs.’ I felt this was a turning point, especially for the
dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human
stories involved,’ explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New
York and Amsterdam.’They speak to us as a different species and animals
are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.’

Help a Soldier Get a Service Dog with a Click of Your Mouse

Posted by Barbara Techel

What a great idea!  This especially touches my heart because my brother is overseas right now. I pray he comes back safe and uninjured.  But for those that have not, I can just imagine the amazing goodness these service dogs are to these warriors. We owe them the chance to have a service dog if they need one.  And it’s so easy for us to help out:

For every 1,000 Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest followers Dog Bless You gets before July 4, the nonprofit will donate a service dog to a wounded warrior.  Please go to Dog Bless You Facebook page today and click “like.”  That’s it. That’s all you have to do.  But then take it a step further and share on your Facebook wall or blog. Wouldn’t it be great if every soldier who needed a service dog, got one?

God Bless America. God Bless our soldiers, and God Bless the work of service dogs.

The Many Jobs of Service Dogs

Posted by Barbara Techel

 

Fran and her service dog Cholee-Lee, named Professional of the Year 2009

When I ran across an article titled, “Not All Service Dogs are for the Blind” it made me stop and think. I did not realize that service animals are not required by law to wear any type of identifying vests or tags saying they are a service animal.  Nor does the owner need to carry any proof.  Though at times you will see them wearing an identifying vest, and then “assume” the owner is blind.

So I think being compassionate and conscious of the fact that someone may have a dog with them in a place of business, instead of assuming someone is just bringing their dog with them.  The dog may be there to alert the owner to an oncoming epilepsy attack, or need them for hearing assistance, or may need them for mobility reasons.  If a business does not comply they can be fined up to $60,000.

Chloee-Lee is a service dog Frankie and I had the honor of meeting in 2009.  She was named Professional of the Year the same time Frankie was named Companion of the Year.  Chloee-Lee performs many different tasks for her owner who has multiple challenges.  Chloee-Lee also has a challenge of her own in which she suffers from Addison Disease, but that does not stop her and as Fran her owner describes her, “the best thing in yellow fur and four legs ever.”