09/10/2026
Honoring the dogs of 9/11…
Every year around September 11th I can’t help but think of the unsung heroes in the aftermath of the twin towers collapsing, the dogs.
Over 300 dogs stood beside nearly 10,000 rescue workers at Ground Zero. They knew the job they had been trained for, and they did it with no hesitation…even in horrible conditions.
They climbed mountains of smoldering debris, burned their paws, cut their skin, and still they pressed forward tirelessly searching for life.
As the days passed and survivors became fewer, the dogs began to lose hope. Some showed signs of depression, believing they had failed. So their handlers did something creative and bold. They hid among the rubble, allowing the dogs to “find” them….restoring their purpose, and bringing back the wag of their tails, and it worked.
Through exhaustion, heartbreak, and danger, these four legged heroes carried light into the darkest days. They comforted the grieving. They gave hope to the hopeless. They gave love when the world was broken. Every year we honor the service dogs and humans of 9/11…forever heroes, forever remembered.
In this dark and sometimes scary world may we look to the dogs of 9/11 as a reminder to meet despair with courage, to answer heartbreak with love, to scale the mountains ahead of us one step at a time, and carry light even when the world feels heavy.
— Johnathan (AGuyandAGolden)
