Today is a day of remembrance. The world changed September 11,2001. No act of terrorism at that scale had hit the United States. It would go on to launch a war as the men responsible were hunted down. It would also be responsible for bringing the nose of the dog to the forefront of the general public. That top picture and so many like it gave an eleven year old me something to understand. People don’t always make sense to me. We are a selfish, self-seeking, narcistic bunch of beings. Dogs aren’t, it really is that simple. You can look at a dog and that dog will tell you everything you need to know about it if you are willing to listen. They can’t lie, at least not convincingly.
Amidst the chaos and terror that 9/11 brought, where video of the pile was shot so the world could see first responders and rescue workers working tirelessly to recover those lost, I locked in on the dogs. These dogs were special. Up until that day your average search and rescue operation was for a lost child. This was recovery on a massive scale. Dogs were present at the Oklahoma City bombing and while that was the catalyst of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, 9/11 brought to the public eye just what dogs can do. These dogs were not searching for a child in the woods. These dogs were traversing rubble and I-beams with the agility and grace of a gymnast.
The canine olfactory sense was on full display for a watching world. It was also on display for a boy whom happened to love dogs and had little understanding of the politics that would surround that day. I knew little of what would transpire because of those acts of terrorism. What I did understand was dogs. My profession isn’t a coincidence. I truly love dogs. During those days when nothing made sense I could at least catch a few seconds of video or see a picture of one of the 100 plus dogs that were deployed throughout New York and D.C. to search for those left behind.
Those dogs did a tremendous amount of work. But, as much work as they did, the closure they brought, the one thing they provided above all else was hope. A light in the darkness, a familiarity for first responders, and rescue workers at the end of shifts looking for brothers and sisters in the rubble. They went in to search, ordinary dogs that happened to be extraordinarily well trained. They came out as heroes. A testament to what it meant to be a dog. Canis Familiaris at their finest.
Even now 19 years later the images of those dogs are seared in my brain. When natural disasters hit, when tragedy strikes, I can tell you that now I look for those dogs. The ordinary turned extraordinary on four feet with a nose that rivals anything man could ever invent. Men might have selectively bred the dog and honed instincts to create dogs for specific jobs, but God certainly gave us a gift like no other that would time after time prove its worth not only as an able partner but as a friend.
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