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Oct. 1, 2001

For people who don't have pets, or who don't bond deeply with their pets, the recent attacks in New York might not seem to have any animal-related "angle" at all. But for those who consider pets a part of their family, the fate of their companion animals is as important to them as their own.

"Are you a human?" asked one outraged New Yorker on an America Online message board. "People are trapped and dying and you are worried about animals?"

"Even if I was trapped under thousands of tons of rubble, I'd think about my cat waiting for me to come home," responded another.

One angry person wrote, "This is the kind of mentality that sickens me. There are currently families that have been shattered, lives changed forever, and children both killed and orphaned. And (groups) are worried about pets? To me this is an absolute insult."

"When animal's lives become more important than human, terrorism will be a minor pain in America's side," another New Yorker responded in agreement.

Contributed a gentler voice, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that the missing are our first priority. Unfortunately right now many of them cannot be reached. There are crews of thousands, working round the clock to rescue the victims of this disaster. The pets, however, can probably be reached with minimal risk to human safety. And it is a small but meaningful thing that friends and family of those missing can do to feel like they have done something. Those who are missing have the pets because they love them. Respect and honor those feelings."

In a poll of pet owners visiting their website, the Veterinary Information Network's Pet Care Forum found that over 62 percent of respondents felt that not enough attention had been paid to the animals of people affected by the tragedy. Over 30 percent felt the right amount of attention had been paid, while only 2.3 percent felt too much attention had been paid.

One poll respondent commented, "What is the 'right' amount of concern? How would you possibly be able to measure that? Yes, humans do have to come first. But not everyone is able to help in the human rescue effort. Many people who cannot be involved in the human rescue effort (maybe they aren't trained correctly, or can't get to the area, for instance) are willing to help with the animal rescue effort. It doesn't mean that they don't care about the humans, but it is a way to help with the tragedy. Some people need to be involved to help heal their grief. To many, their animals are indeed members of the family. I know that I would definitely want someone to be searching for my pets if something tragic happened to me. To not try and help the animals left behind would be considered abuse, in my opinion. There are those of us who feel we should do all we can to help them, since they are animals, and obviously cannot help themselves. Does this mean we are not upset by the tragic loss of life taken by this attack on the WTC and the Pentagon? Of course not."

"The tragedy was so enormous. So many lives lost, and each one matters to the loved ones left. I read of the Search and Rescue dogs working to find survivors - or at least remains that the families can claim and bury - and the poor pets in the buildings that were evacuated, not knowing when, or if, their owners would come back for them. We all share this planet, and must look after each other," sadly concluded another.

Pets affected by the attacks fell into three general categories: They belonged to people who were injured or killed in the attacks; they were on airplanes which were grounded at various airports all over the world; they were trapped in apartments in the evacuated areas of lower Manhattan.

Stories of people who were not allowed to return home to get their dogs, cats, birds, and other pets were slow to appear in the media, but concern over animal family members was raised within a day of the attacks by groups such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA, headquartered in New York City) and the Emergency Animal Rescue Service, which was involved in animal rescues during Hurricane Andrew and other natural disasters. Many rumors and false stories circulated, especially on the Internet, but nearly all of the animals belonging to people evacuated, injured, or killed due to the attacks were cared for. EARS reports only one death, of a cat with previous health problems.

Other animals most closely involved with the attacks are specially trained dogs known as Search and Rescue Dogs, or SAR Dogs. These dogs, with their human handlers, enter dangerous and unstable areas, searching for survivors as well as human remains.

Trained therapy dogs are also working at "Ground Zero," helping the people still searching the rubble to deal with the effects of the back- and heartbreaking work. To read about therapy dogs working with people at Ground Zero, go to http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/0109wtc/011002dogs.html.

To find out more about donating to assist those helping the pets of people affected by the attacks, or the dogs involved in the search and rescue efforts, visit http://www.vin.com/Promo/News/CU_scspca.htm.

Update: On the one-year anniversary of 9/11, DogHobbyist.com created this tribute page to the canine heroes of 9/11: In Honor of Heroes.