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Wednesday, September 11, 2002

The yellow Lab sits amid the rubble and horror that was 9/11/01. His face and muzzle are white, which identifies him as an older dog. His bright-colored vest identifies him as a search and rescue dog. In his mouth is a red baseball cap.

The dog's photo is one of many on an Internet slide show titled "Canine Search and Rescue Tribute."

Did the dog recover a ball cap belonging to one of the people killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center? Or was a rescue worker playing a game of fetch with the dog to give him a break from the grim work in lower Manhattan?

One can't tell from viewing the Web site because there are no captions under any picture in the four-minute Internet slide show. We have to use our imagination.

The images are thought-provoking and tear-producing.

Hard-working SAR dogs and handlers are shown sifting through the shifting, dangerous recovery site. Shell-shocked, weary firemen and police officers are pictured petting dogs during breaks.

In one shot, a black Labrador retriever gazes adoringly into the eyes of President Bush, who has one hand gently cupped under the dog's muzzle.

Two hundred to 300 dogs worked the site. Most are owned and trained by volunteers. Others are police department K-9 dogs.

The 9/11 SAR dogs and handlers were unable to experience the joy and satisfaction that comes with the job of saving lives. They worked to find bodies and body parts.

But the dogs of 9/11 played another role. They functioned as therapy dogs, lifting the spirits of the thousands of people working at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan and at the Pentagon.

A number of groups and organizations are working to make sure the dogs are not forgotten, starting with the Connecticut lawyers who put together the tribute to 9/11 SAR dogs.

Their Web site is the CT Legal Guide, which can be found at: http://www.ctlegalguide.com/SlideShow/caninetribute.htm. That site and http://www.newyork.com have links to other Sept. 11 tributes and planned activities.

Veterinary researchers and psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania are doing a three-year study of the effects on SAR dogs and handlers.

Rubble at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon "was laced with asbestos, diesel fuel, PCBs and countless other toxins," the Penn news release says.

"Few dogs suffered acute injuries, but during the next three years we expect them to serve as our sentinels on long-term consequences," said Cynthia M. Otto, associate professor of critical care in Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine. "We may see health effects" in the dogs that might show up "in humans 10 or 20 years from now."

Otto's team will pay particular attention to the incidence of cancer in SAR dogs.

Melissa Hunt, associate director of clinical training in Penn's Department of Psychology, will lead the study of dog handlers. She'll be looking for signs of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Rescuers who helped clean up after the Oklahoma City bombing have experienced unusually high rates of divorce, sleep disorders and other trauma-related signs of stress," Hunt said.

Handlers experiencing problems will get some modified therapy.

The study involves more than 200 search dogs and handlers from across the United States.

Some were part of trained rescue teams certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Others came on their own.

The FEMA-certified dogs will undergo intensive periodic examination by their local veterinarians, the Penn release says. Other dogs will be assessed through surveys.

Support for the Penn study comes from the AKC Canine Health Foundation, the American Kennel Club, Ralston Purina Co., Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The study includes researchers at Michigan State University and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

The American Kennel Club also has spearheaded the DOGNY Public Art Program, with proceeds to benefit canine SAR teams.

Artists have painted and decorated 300 life-size statues of SAR dogs. The statues started going up last month and will be displayed through November.

The DOGNY goal is at least $1 million. Corporate sponsors too numerous to mention have donated money and sponsored artists.

For further information, call the AKC toll-free at 1-866-DOGNY-911 or view the Web site at http://www.DOGNY.org.

Donations can be mailed to The American Kennel Club, 260 Madison Ave., Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10016-2401.