AMY SACKS
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Among search-and-rescue pooches honored for service
at Ground Zero was Lucas, now 12, a black Labrador
now enjoying retirement.
For many, the unsung heroes of 9/11 were the brave
search-and-rescue dogs that guided their human colleagues
through the dangerous Pile left behind by the collapse
of the Twin Towers.
Five years after an estimated 350 fearless canines
spent 14-hour days with their noses to the ground,
searching for signs of life amid the smoldering,
toxic rubble, veterinary researchers have found
surprising results.
Although nearly 70% of World Trade Center human
responders suffered lung symptoms during or after
the Sept. 11 attacks, surprisingly, researchers
say hundreds of the heroic search-and-rescue dogs
have suffered few health issues related to the attacks.
"We have found no profound patterns of disease,"
said Dr. Phil Fox, a veterinarian at Manhattan's
Animal Medical Center, who conducted a five-year
study on 27 NYPD canine and bomb detection unit
dogs deployed after 9/11. "It tells us these
dogs are more resilient than we thought."
Half or more of the heroic NYPD search-and-rescue
dogs, whose average age when deployed was between
4 and 5 years old, have since retired or died, most
from age-related ailments or diseases common in
older dogs, including cancer.
Despite working without masks or protective gear,
dogs may have had several advantages over humans:
Asthma is uncommon in dogs, most dogs arrived after
the collapse and a dog's longer nose allows him
to filter the air more effectively.
A second study at the University of Pennsylvania
of 97 dogs that worked at the World Trade Center,
Pentagon and Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island
also found no evidence of adverse health effects.
The dogs, owned mostly by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency or private individuals, were monitored
for infection, toxic injury, lung disease and cancer,
said lead researcher Cyndy Otto, a critical care
veterinarian who spent nine days working with search-and-rescue
dogs at Ground Zero.
"So far, so good - although we are not out
of the woods yet," Otto said.
The studies were funded by the American Kennel Club
Canine Health Foundation, a grant totaling about
$400,000.
Still, some critics question the results. NYPD Capt.
Scott Shields, whose 11-year-old golden retriever,
Bear, was one of the first dogs to search the rubble
at Ground Zero, believes a study of this magnitude
should be run by a "viable" agency with
a bigger budget, more dogs and a team of expert
toxicologists and epidemiologists.
Bear was injured while working at the site, and
the periphery of his wound became cancerous. The
brave dog recovered and continued working but then
died one year later, just shy of his 13th birthday,
from multiple forms of cancer.
Today, Shields remains uncertain whether it was
related to 9/11.
In the past five years, many of the fearless dogs
have died, some have retired and others are still
happily at work.
Lucas, a black Labrador, was 7 years old when he
was deployed to the twin towers with his handler
Mike Palumbo of the FEMA Ohio Task Force.
"He's living a life of luxury that's well-deserved,"
said Palumbo, 51, who fondly recalled breaks in
the search when Lucas would lay his head in Palumbo's
helmet and bury his nose in his scent.
The WTC Memorial Foundation is considering a museum
exhibit that would tell the story of the heroism
of the search-and-rescue dogs, said spokeswoman
Lynn Rasic, and many handlers who brought their
dogs to Ground Zero hope a memorial to these brave
dogs becomes reality.
"Everybody that walked in there is a different
kind of hero," Shields said. "The dogs
led us there ... but people have forgotten what
important roles the animals played."
Originally published on September 9, 2006 |
