The elite of the canine search and rescue (SAR) dogs trained to sniff out both survivors and those who perished in the disaster heeded the call for help from the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Dogs have abilities for which humans cannot invent substitutes. Dogs can hear a twig snap a half mile away and can smell a human being from 500 yards. Forty times keener than a human's, a canine sense of smell can detect the microscopic skin cells humans shed daily. Dogs have been used to find lost people since the 14th century. Search and Rescue dogs are specialized into six types.

While "Trailing" dogs require a recent article from the lost person, "Air Scenting" do not (they follow any human scent). "Water Search" dogs locate human remains under the water (the scent rises in water) and "Cadaver Search" dogs find decomposing human tissue "Avalanche Search" find victims in snow and "Disaster Search" dogs find people buried in debris. At the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, a local dog team found the last person still alive. A trained dog can detect over 1,700 odors. Explosive Detection dogs worked at the Olympics in Los Angeles and in Atlanta; in Oklahoma City; and at the Columbine High School shootings in 1999.

And now, once again, they have been called to service, in Lower Manhattan and our Nation's Capitol. They will work long hours, relentless in their search efforts. Along with all of those who give so much at times like this, without thought of personal safety or need, we salute the SAR dogs and their handlers. They too, are our American heroes.

GUIDE DOG LEADS MAN TO SAFETY AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
Dorado, a four year old lab, never left his owner's side
New York, September 11, 2001

New York resident Omar Eduardo Rivera was unfortunate enough to find himself on the 71st floor of the World Trade Center north tower when the hijacked airliner struck the building 25 floors above him. Mr. Rivera, a computer technician who is blind, was in his office with his guide dog "Dorado" lying under the desk at the time.

Mr. Rivera described how he unleashed his faithful friend, so that the dog might escape. But despite the chaos and the crowds of fleeing people, the four-year-old Labrador Retriever suppressed any selfish instinct for survival and instead stayed by the man's side and guided him to safety.

"Not having any sight I knew I wouldn't be able to run down the stairs. "I thought I was lost forever--the noise and the heat were terrifying--but I had to give Dorado the chance of escape. So I unclipped his lead, ruffled his head, gave him a nudge and ordered Dorado to go.

Everything was in chaos. At that point, Dorado was swept away by the rush of people fleeing down the stairs, and Mr. Rivera found himself on his own for several minutes amid the pandemonium. But then the unexpected occurred, in the form of a familiar, fuzzy nudge from knee-high. Mr. Rivera explains, "He returned to my side a few minutes later and guided me down 70 flights and out into the street, it was amazing. It was then I knew for certain he loved me just as much as I loved him. He was prepared to die in the hope he might save my life."

Inside the egress stairwell, they found some additional assistance from a co-worker. "I took hold of her arm. She went down on my right side and the dog on my left," says Mr. Rivera.

It took more than an hour for Dorado, Mr. Rivera and his co-worker to descend those 70 flights of stairs. Not long after they had reached the ground and gotten to safety, the tower collapsed. Says Mr. Rivera, "I owe my life to Dorado--my companion and best friend."