Remembering the search and rescue dogs of Ground Zero

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New 9/11 declaration in NYC

New 9/11 declaration in NYC

Editor’s note: The video above aired in a previous newscast.

NEW YORK CITY (WPIX) – There were many heroes on September 11, 2001, but over 300 of them were dogs, here are some of their stories. 

After the chaos, nearly 100,000 workers and volunteers cleaned up Ground Zero in New York, according to the National Library of Medicine. Over 300 dogs also assisted in rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero, and dogs were used in recovery efforts at the Pentagon. 

Dozens of search-and-rescue dogs searched the wreckage of the site for survivors.

Rescue mission becomes a recovery 

In New York City, where most of the destruction occurred, the hours turned into days and the days into weeks. 

Recovery officials realized the chance of finding survivors was increasingly slim, and the operation shifted its focus to recovery at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. 

Cadaver dogs, trained to find human remains, were also on the scene, often finding bits and pieces of victims scattered through the rubble.

“It was the most surreal thing I’ve ever seen, the most horrific act of violence I’ve ever witnessed,” said John E. Feal, whose recollection of the rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts can be found in the Library of Congress.

“The first thing I found was an entire body burned into rebar, but you had to look a couple of times. It was so unexplainable; the rubble down there. There was not a desk. There was not a chair. There was not a computer. There was not a briefcase. There was nothing but dust, concrete, rebar and papers flying around that is it,”........

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