This month marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a day when 19 radicals co-opted the Islamic religion, took our breath away, and ended nearly 3,000 lives.
Hordes of people fled cascades of concrete and billows of toxic dust. Others ran toward it without hesitation. People clad in bunker gear, scrubs, fatigues, and police blues. Carrying the injured to safety and calling out through a gray veil in hopes of finding survivors buried in the rubble. None gave a second thought for their own well-being.
Twenty-five years later, nearly 10,000 of those heroes have succumbed to illnesses associated with this act of terror. Cancers and respiratory diseases took the greatest toll. Among those who ultimately gave their lives to save others was an 11-year-old Golden Retriever named Bear.
Despite scorched paws and eyes blinded by steam spewing from crevices, Bear found many victims that day, including the bodies of the highest-ranking first responders: FDNY Chief of Department, Peter Ganci, and FDNY First Fire Commissioner, William Feehan. Bear’s handler, Captain Scott Shields, told CNN in 2002 that Bear worked 18-hour days and located more human survivors than any other dog at the site.
On-scene responders reportedly “adopted” Bear, clearing soot from his eyes and ears and giving him water. Though trained from an early age not to accept food from strangers, Bear broke with training that day to devour 10 steak sandwiches a Salvation Army volunteer offered him.
Less than one year after the attacks, then 12-year-old Bear suffered gross acceleration of his existing arthritis and cancer. Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, CA, offered free insurance policies for more than 300 search and rescue dogs who served at Ground Zero. Bear was one of five rescue dogs whose claim was rejected due to “pre-existing health conditions.” Following public outcry, the company reversed its decision. Additionally, a Nassau County animal shelter covered the $3,000 cost of Bear’s outstanding medical bills and offered him lifetime care. Bear passed away in 2003.
That same year, the United Nations honored Bear as a “Hero to Humanity,” and his portrait was displayed there for the World Peace Celebration. He became the “poster dog” for 9/11 operations. On September 11, 2004, the FDNY-EMS Academy in Fort Totten, New York, honored Bear by etching his name into a memorial. He was the first canine specifically recognized for his 9/11 response.
Shields now serves as president of The Bear Search and Rescue Foundation. This non-profit organization raises funds for equipment, training, and transportation for search and rescue teams across the country.
Three hundred four-pawed heroes answered the call on America’s bleakest day. The last known surviving rescue dog from the 9/11 attacks was another Golden Retriever named Bretagne. A veteran of missions in Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Ivan, Bretagne was not even two years old when she worked a 10-day shift at Ground Zero. After she died of kidney failure in 2016, firefighters and rescue workers lined the sidewalk to give her a final salute.