Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. Today’s fact is further proof dogs are too good for us.
During the September 11 attacks, a guide dog named Roselle led her blind owner down 78 flights of stairs to safety.
It’s been 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks, when 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.S. passenger planes. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Another plane hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The fourth plane was headed toward the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., but its passengers revolted against the terrorists, and the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
There are countless stories of tragedy, grief, and sorrow from September 11. If you were alive then, you almost certainly vividly remember where you were and what you were doing.
Will Jimeno, then a rookie Port Authority police officer, was trapped under rubble for 13 hours. He recalled the situation as “literally hell” and said he was buried, crushed, and “just wanted to die.”
Yet he and one other colleague made it out alive. And he shares not only his story, but the stories of those who weren’t as fortunate. He says he gets asked all the time what he saw the most on that day. His response?
“Love. In all that darkness, there was love. I want people to understand that on September 11, the darkest day in U.S. history, there was a lot of good that day. There was a lot of light that day.”
Those stories are what give us hope. People banding together to help each other. And in some cases, we saw animals offering a hand (or paw).
Roselle the Guide Dog
Michael Hingson was born blind. In 2001, he was working as a regional sales manager for a computer-storage company. He and his coworker, David Frank, were on the 78th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. They were preparing to lead a seminar, when they heard a muffled explosion.
Frank noticed fire and smoke billowing above them. The building also plunged several feet. “We got to get out of here—right now.”
Frank, Hingson, and Roselle, Hingson’s yellow Labrador retriever guide dog, did a quick sweep of the room to make sure no one else was there, then headed to the stairwell.
Descending 78 flights of stairs is exhausting and difficult on a calm day. In the midst of panic and chaos, while navigating fire, smoke, loud sounds, uneven footing, and people running by you in all directions? That’s a whole other story.
Yet Roselle was determined to guide her group out of the building and into safety. She sometimes walked beside Hingson, but since the stairwell was narrow and space was tight, she often walked at his heel, helping guide him down while he held onto the railing.
“Good dog, Roselle. You’re doing a great job,” Hingson kept telling his companion. He explained later: “I knew she was going to sense the fear in everyone else, so I needed to let her know I was okay.”
Along the way, Roselle offered kisses to comfort other people who were in the stairwell. And despite unnerving moments as they traversed down, Hingson, Frank, and Roselle made it to the lobby. The trio crossed Broadway, and then a police officer yelled that the south tower was coming down.
Everyone turn and ran. Roselle led Hingson to shelter in a subway station.
“Roselle had done her job perfectly,” he said.
When they were told it was safe to leave, Hingson, Roselle, and Frank emerged back at street level, and Frank reported that the towers were no longer standing.
Hingson returned home to New Jersey that night. Roselle, just being a wonderful dog, began playing with her favorite toy.
Shortly after the attacks, Hingson moved to California and worked for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He’s become a public speaker and has published several books, including his 2011 best-selling memoir, Thunder Dog, Live Like a Guide Dog, and Running with Roselle, a children’s book.
Roselle received the service dog Award for Canine Excellence in 2002. She lived a good, happy life of 14 years. Hingson now lives with his guide dog Alamo (who also attends events).
One of the outcomes of the attacks is that it stopped people from traveling, or made them more afraid to see other parts of the world.
That makes me sad, because the world is incredible. I’ve continued to travel and encourage other people to do the same when they can (and I still very much love a good deal). Some things have irrevocably changed since 9/11, and it will always be a day that lives with us.
Hingson has a good reminder about that, too.
“If we allow ourselves to be blinded by fear, all we’re going to do is make it harder for ourselves to live.”
A year after the attacks, Roselle (alongside Hingson) made an appearance on Larry King Live. King called her ACE award “a big doggie deal,” but she remained cool as a cucumber throughout. Truly a natural.