Summary
About 350 dogs relentlessly searched "the pile" for months, often becoming depressed when their search yielded no results. Vets and volunteers also aided in rescuing pets who had been left stranded in apartments all around ground zero.
The animal caregivers at ground zero worked 24/7 for months at the site. Prior to 9/11, there were no official standards in place for dealing with animals at disaster scenes. Dehydration was the biggest issue that we had.
SCSPCA Chief Roy Gross: "There was probably 350 dogs in total, from all over the country" "We provided somewhere between 700 and 1,000 treatments during that period of time"
These dogs were just frantic. Cadaver dogs and these recovery dogs are trained to find a body. You're talking this pulverized organic matter; scent is everywhere -- they don't know where to focus.
Officer Joseph Caputo was approached by a woman who said, I just want to thank you and your unit. Dr. John Charos, veterinarian, loaded up his car with medical supplies and headed to ground zero.
The FEMA team came in after the first week. Dr. John Charos said a pigeon was the only live thing he saw come from the rubble.
SCSPCA was the only humane society at ground zero to provide services. Dr. Barbara Kalvig was instrumental in mobilizing 197 veterinarians and about 100 veterinarian technicians.
NYC Veterinarian Emergency Response Team was formed and was stationed at events with working dogs. Forty percent of people won’t leave pets behind in disasters, [studies show].
