The Stories of the 9.11 Dogs
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Alfred Tennyson
from Ulysses
The AKC is running a series of stories called Meet the 9/11 Dogs.
This is Roselle...
On that fateful Tuesday, sales director Michael
Hingson, blind since birth, arrived for work at the World Trade Center’s
Tower One. Hingson’s guide dog, Roselle, settled into her usual post
beneath the desk. At 8:45 a.m. a hijacked jetliner crashed into the
tower, 18 floors above Hingson. After calling his wife, Karen, and
making sure his staff was evacuated, Hingson and his unflappable Lab
began a hellish descent of 78 floors.
Spiraling down the emergency stairs, working methodically through
smoke, debris, and fleeing office workers, they made it to the lobby. By
the time they reached the sidewalk, Tower Two had been struck and was
collapsing. “It sounded like a metal and concrete waterfall,” Hingson
said. They ran for shelter down a subway entrance. They emerged from
underground as Tower One fell, raining down ash and debris. Roselle led
Hingson some 40 blocks to a friend’s apartment and safety.
In the weeks following, Hingson said, “I was taking calls from Larry
King, from Regis and Kelly, Bryant Gumbel. They were looking for
something positive that came out of the tragedy.”
Before long, the blind man and his sweet-faced dog were celebrities.
“Invariably, I’ll be in an airport and someone will say, ‘I know
you—9/11, the guy with the dog, right?’ ” Hingson told
Family Dog in 2004. “It was a defining moment in one way or another for everyone in the world.”
After 9/11 Hingson returned to his native California to work for
Guide Dogs for the Blind, the organization that trained Roselle, and he
has written several books about his loyal companion.
Roselle was the recipient of the
ACE Award for Canine Excellence in the Service Dog category in 2002. She died in June of 2011, at age 14, with Michael and Karen Hingson by her side.
To read more about The Dogs of 9/11...
Meet Apollo.
Meet Sage.
Still with us at 15-years-old - Meet Bretagne.
Dog Files: Hero Dogs of 9/11: Legacy.
Portraits of 9/11 Search Dogs.
Animal Planet Video: Hero Dogs of 9/11.
NorthStar Pet: Honoring 9/11's Rescue Dogs.
