09/13/2026
On September 11, 2001, one veterinarian saw the smoke rising over Manhattan and ran toward it.
Dr. James Michael Shorter, a Tuskegee-trained veterinarian and Manhattan practice owner, was on his way to work when the attacks began. Instead of waiting to see what would happen, he and Dr. Barbara Kalvig gathered medical supplies, rescheduled appointments, and headed downtown, expecting to find people in need of urgent medical care.
What they found was something different: a city in chaos, a massive search-and-rescue operation, and working dogs entering the rubble at Ground Zero.
For the next 72 hours, Shorter, Kalvig, and their veterinary team cared for search-and-rescue dogs working under some of the most difficult conditions imaginable. Using whatever was available from makeshift cooling and cleaning stations to field equipment they helped build a veterinary response that eventually treated roughly 350 dogs with the support of more than 200 veterinarians and technicians.
But Shorter’s contribution didn’t end when the immediate crisis did. The experience helped inspire the creation of the NYC Veterinary Emergency Response Team (NYCVERT), building a lasting framework for animal disaster response in New York City.
His story is a powerful reminder that veterinary medicine doesn’t stop at the clinic door. Sometimes, it means showing up when the world is at its worst and finding a way to help.
📖 Read Dr. Shorter’s remarkable 9/11 story on myvetcandy.com
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