Bird Rock Animal Hospital

09/17/2026

Come down to Bird Rock Plaza during Birdstock and register your four legged superstar!🐕

09/12/2026

25 Years ago, Never Forget

An estimated 300 search-and-rescue teams worked in the aftermath of 9/11. The first dogs on the scene were from the NYPD’s K-9 urban search-and-rescue team, but ultimately dogs from as far away as Florida, Texas, and Canada helped with the efforts.
Some of the day’s notable dogs included:
🐾 Bretagne: a golden retriever believed to have been the last surviving 9/11 dog, who died just shy of 17
🐾 Riley: another golden who appears in one of the most famous photos of the searches being transported from one stretch of debris to another
🐾 Apollo: an NYPD K-9 urban search-and-rescue team member who was one of the first to arrive on the scene just 15 minutes after the South Tower collapse.
🐾 Ricky: a 17-inch-tall, rat terrier who was the smallest SAR dog on the scene.
🐾 Trakr: a German shepherd from Canada who found the last remaining survivor 26 hours after the South tower collapsed.
🐾 Gunner doubled as a SAR and therapy dog. In between searches, he would entertain and comfort rescue workers.
🐾 Worf: a German shepherd who found the remains of two firefighters on his first day and had to be immediately retired. He stopped eating and was so affected that he shut down.
🐾 Salty & Roselle: two guide dogs who led their blind owners to safety from Tower 1. Salty led her human, Omar Rivera, down 71 floors, and Roselle led her human, Michael Hingson, down 78.
🐾 Cara: a Beauceron deployed with Florida Task Force 2 who navigated the rubble with a remote camera system so responders could see the area on video screens.
🐾 Sunny: a Doberman who helped find the remains of a lost firefighter, giving the family much-needed closure.
🐾 Hansen: a Belgian shepherd dog who worked on-site for 150 days alongside his handler.
Teams worked 12-hour days for an average of 10 days straight. In total, only 20 survivors were pulled from the rubble. When the dogs began to get discouraged, handlers had to stage “mock finds” so the dogs could feel successful.
The tragedy necessitated a new era of therapy dogs, and many dog owners were inspired to pursue search-and-rescue certification because of the images and press of the search-and-rescue

07/10/2026

We had such a great time at the Bird Rock 4th of July Parade!

Posted inNewsletter Dogs of Bird Rock steal the show by Molly Bowman-Styles July 9, 2026, 11:00 a.m.July 10, 2026, 6:56 a.m. Bird Rock Animal Hospital staff were all smiles as their pack of pups and proud parents paused at the end of the parade for photos.

05/04/2026

We are grateful to Bird Rock Elementary School for the opportunity to participate in Steamfest and appreciated the engaging questions from the students!

04/21/2026

Safety tips for Rattlesnake season !

04/21/2026

Southern California, it's Rattlesnake Season!

04/17/2026

Continuing education is a priority at our practice, we're always learning to provide your pets with the best care!

04/17/2026

Hamilton was such a great help at the front desk today while waiting for his Mom to pick him up!

11/11/2025

We appreciate our Veterans! Happy Veterans Day!