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Last surviving 9/11 rescue dogs one decade on |
During the atrocity of the 9/11 attacks one decade ago, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 amazing search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors.
Now, ten years on, only 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series titled ‘Retrieved’ for a book to sing their praises.
The dogs worked tirelessly to try and search for people trapped in the rubble, along with huge number of emergency service workers and even members of the public.
Traveling across nine states in the US, Charlotte Dumas, 34, photographed the remaining dogs in their later years in the homes where they still live with their handlers, and that’s a full decade on from the horrific attacks on America.
Charlotte re-knowned for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, wanted ‘Retrieved’ to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition for some of the first responders to the rescue and their dogs.
Tara, 16, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, arrived at the World Trade Centre on the night of the 11th. The dog and her handler Lee Prentiss were there for a total of 8 days after 9/11
Merlyn and his handler Matt Claussen were deployed to the site on the 24th September, working night shifts for five days
Hoke and her handler Julie Noyze were deployed to the World Trade Centre from their home in Denver on September 24 and searched for 5 days
Moxie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center site on the Tuesday evening, September 11, 2001, and they searched the site for 8 days
Kaiser, 12, pictured at home in Indianapolis, Indiana was deployed to the World Trade Center September 11, 2001, and looked for people in the rubble
Most of the search and rescue dogs are Golden Retrievers or Labradors and Charlotte felt that the title of the project worked across many aspects.
I found the dogs, I ‘retrieved’ them, they were there to ‘retrieve’ the victims, it is nicely rounded,’ said Charlotte whose work is being exhibited at the Julie Saul Gallery NYC opening on September 8, in time for the anniversary.
Contacting the NYPD, the New York Fire Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Charlotte discovered that out of the nearly 100 dogs among the first responders deployed by FEMA, there were in fact still only 15 of them alive last year.
Red, 11, from Annapolis, Maryland, went with Heather Roche to the Pentagon from September 16 until the 27 as part of the Bay Area Recovery Canines
Tuff, left, arrived in NYC at 11pm on the day of the attack to start working early the next day, whilst Abigail on the right, was deployed to the site on the evening of September 17th 2001.
They were there for the first few weeks, they were trained to find people alive, although that is ultimately not what happened,’ said Charlotte.
I traveled across the United States to meet up with the owners and portray the dogs. The dogs are now all retired and I spent time with each of their handlers learning about their experiences back then.
It was moving talking to Denise Corliss, who is the handler and owner of Bretagne, one of the Golden Retrievers.
She told me a touching story of one fireman who was there in the rubble, and how taken back he was with Bretagne who comforted him as he sat down to catch his breath.
Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, and remained there for just over 9 days
Deployed at the site for 11 days from 13th September was Guinness, 15, from Highland California, along with her handler Sheila McKee
Searching for survivors: The dogs tirelessly worked to help find those who survived the horrific attacks
Years later at a Remembrance Ceremony, the same fireman recognized Bretagne and her handler and they had a touching reunion.
It developed that even though the dogs couldn’t find people still alive, they could provide comfort for the brave firemen and rescue workers of the emergency services.’
Wishing to tell the other side of heroism from 9/11, each of Charlotte’s encounters with dogs such as Gabriel and Orion and Scout stayed with her.
The dogs are now quite old and they will soon sadly pass away. Even during the time it has taken since my first work on the ‘Retrieved’ portraits to now, three of the final 15 rescue dogs have now died,’ said Charlotte.
These portraits are about how time passes, and how these dogs and their portraits are offering us a way to deal with the things that happened as well as relying on them for comfort.’
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