The Dogs of 9/11

September 11th, 2001, was a scary day for Americans. There were so many brave individuals who risked their lives to help others.

It is easy to confuse service dogs with therapy dogs. Service dogs were used on this day and the days following the attacks. Their care helped many people immensely. However, therapy dogs can continue to help the victims of 9/11.

There is a specific training program that both service and therapy dogs participate in to help them get ready for their jobs even though they will take very different paths.

Once therapy and service dogs are trained, they have to take a test. While most dogs pass it right away, some may need more training before they take the test again.

One of the tasks service dogs did during 9/11 was to help find any victims who were still alive. This was such an important job and one that the dogs did really well. Because of their great sense of smell, they quickly went through everything on the ground and alerted authorities when they found survivors.

Therapy dogs are used to help people with their everyday chores. These dogs help open doors and even help them walk. When the victims of 9/11 received their therapy dogs, it made it a lot easier for them to finish their daily tasks.

Therapy dogs can also become great companions for their owners. Receiving a furry friend that also can allow one to be more independent is truly a gift.

Both service dogs and therapy dogs have important roles and are very helpful to people. They were especially helpful during the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

As the years go by, we still remember that horrible day. Many people are quick to thank the thousands of people who stepped in to help. It is also important to thank the dogs that also risked their lives to find people in the rubble. We should also thank the therapy dogs that help their owners lead as normal lives as possible.