photo #9382037

In the aftermath of 9/11, rescue dogs searched tirelessly through the rubble at Ground Zero, hoping to find survivors. But as the days passed and they encountered mostly victims, some handlers noticed the dogs becoming discouraged and emotionally drained.These remarkable animals had been trained to find people alive, so their handlers sometimes staged successful “rescues,” hiding volunteers among the rubble for the dogs to discover. Finding someone alive gave the dogs the reward, praise, and sense of success they needed to keep going through the exhausting search.It’s a powerful reminder that these four-legged heroes gave more than their strength and training—they gave everything they had.