Remembering the Heroic Dogs of 9/11

9/11.

You don't even need to say more than those two numbers to know what someone is talking about. It's been 19 years since the unforgettable day of destruction and thousands of lives lost. It's a day anyone who lived through it will always remember. It's impossible not to.

And while each and every year. there are countless memorials in honor of the heroic police, firemen, first responders, and all those who were lost. Today, we would like to take a moment and honor all of those who were impacted by 9/11, and the heroic dogs who were on the scene, trying to locate and save all who they could. More than 300 dogs joined the emergency rescue workers. These dogs are heroes in every sense of the word, from searching to rescuing, to comforting, to even bomb detection. The canines of 9/11 were pure acts of courage and will forever be remembered.

There's a reason dogs are man's best friend. They are the epitome of heart and strength.

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01
RILEY

via Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres.

"Riley was trained to find live people. Still, he did help recover several bodies of firefighters. But Riley worked desperately to find the living – that was his job."
02
APPOLLO

via Dogingtonpost

"Apollo rushed to the scene of the attacks, along with his handler, Peter Davis, and was the first search and rescue dog to arrive at the site. The German shepherd nearly lost his life to flames and falling debris, but he managed to survive after falling into a pool of water, and continued working."
03
THUNDER

via Getty Images

"Thunder, who was usually deployed in the Washington area to look for victims and survivors of avalanches and possible drownings, was sent to search the rubble of the 9/11 attacks for victims."
04
BRETAGNE

via AP / Metro.co.uk

"Bretagne was the last surviving search dog who worked on ground zero. The golden retriever worked at the scene for 10 days along with her handler Denise Corliss, helping to find victims and carry out rescue operations. She was also deployed in response to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ivan, and many other disasters."
05
SAGE

via Metro.co.uk

"Sage searched the rubble of the Pentagon, where she found the body of one of the hijackers."
06
TRAKR

via Metro.co.uk

"Trakr, a German Shepherd police dog, found the last survivor of the 9/11 attacks who had been trapped under the rubble for 27 hours."
07
JAKE

via Dogingtonpost

"While Jake assisted after many natural disasters, he was most noted for his work following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center where he worked tirelessly for 17 days."
08
COBY AND GUINNESS

via Metro.co.uk

"The two Labrador retrievers, searched relentlessly through the rubble of the collapsed buildings, often for 12 hours during the night. Both dogs found the remains of dozens of people and covered an area that went beyond the scope of anything they had been trained for."
09

via Today
10

via Getty Images
11

via Getty Images
12

via Getty Images
13

via Getty Images
14

via Getty Images
15

via Getty Images
16

via Getty Images
17

via Getty Images