In the Aftermath

There are literally tens of thousands of stories from the attack on September 11, 2001. The human toll is staggering. Beyond that, the ripple effect that has mostly gone below the radar of the general news media is the animals effected.

There are heart-warming stories, like Roselle, the yellow Lab guide dog who, with her blind partner, made it down nearly 80 flights of stairs to escape the WTC and then once the smoke choked the streets they actually helped people make it to a subway station to safety. And Cyrus, a Port Authority police K9 who perished in the disaster because his human partner left him locked in his kennel when he went to help, not realizing the buildings were going to collapse.

And then there's the pets who were left behind either due to being orphaned by the attack or because their owners had left their homes for the day not realizing they wouldn't be able to go back home near Ground Zero.

Let us not forget the search and rescue teams working in the rubble, valiantly trying to find survivors. Such a horrible toll this takes on these game dogs who are trained to find people but only smelling death. And the "cadaver" dogs who's grim mission it is to find bodies -- they are overwhelmed because everywhere they look is death. They don't know where to start.

Here are press release clips from the ASPCA and the HSUS--

ASPCA: "For more information on what the ASPCA is doing to help the animals impacted by the disaster--and to see photos of these rescue efforts--visit http://www.aspca.org. Readers interested in contributing to the ASPCA Disaster Relief Fund may do so online at our site; donations can also be sent to the ASPCA Disaster Relief Fund, 424 East 92nd St., New York, NY 10128, and will be gladly accepted at (212) 876-7700 x4516 or 4515. And tri-state area residents, take note--please inform us of any pets whose owners are missing by calling our emergency hotline at (212) 876-7700 x4PET."

HSUS: "People seeking assistance for displaced or stranded pets may call 1-888-LOST-123 in the New York area, and 718-272-7200 outside the NY metropolitan area. These numbers should be called only in emergency circumstances, according to state and local authorities, because of the continued strain on telephone circuits."

What can you do to help? Give blood for starters. Contact your Red Cross secondly. As of this writing the SAR teams are packing up to go home. Most of them were there on their own time with their own money. Contact your local law enforcement agency to find out if there is a SAR team in your area and contact them directly to find out how you can help support them.

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