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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

Another Tails from American History. Today we meet the first dogs in the White House, Juno and Satan. #tailsfromAmericanhistory

youtu.be

A tail of two dogos

YouTube video by Ethan's Rescue Pet Project

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

Rico is gaining weight and getting better! He keeps trying to stick his head through the fence when rabbits run through the fence, and keeps getting his nose bumped. Anyway, Rico says hi!

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

Over 300 dogs helped out following the attacks on 9/11. SAR dogs, therapy dogs, working dogs. Every story was an inspiration. I wish I could list highlight every dog that helped that day, but there are so many stories! But today we remember, and we honor them.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

4/4 His handler later named her K9 training facility Jenner’s Run in his honor. Merlyn passed away at age 16 following retirement from a highly successful disaster search career.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

3/4 briefly and then returned. Wichmann urged responders to search the spot where she disappeared, a firefighters remains was found. Jenner passed away at age 12.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

2/4 Merlyn found remains several days into the search, Jenner was getting disheartened, and Wichmann asked if he could search the area as well so he could have the reinforcement of a find. That motivated Jenner to keep searching. Jenner ran into an area that hadn’t been searched, disappeared

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

1/4 Jenner and Merlyn were two SAR dogs at Ground Zero. Jenner was a black lab who worked at the site along with her trainer Ann Wichmann. Merlyn, handled by Matt Clausen, was also on site. Why is this special? Jenner was two year old Merlyn’s dad.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

2/2 Officer John William Perry who was hours away from his retirement, and Sgt. Michael Curtis a Marine Corp veteran and NYOD officer. Hansen passed away peacefully in 2004 at the age of 11. A monument is dedicated to him in the Lindenhurst Memorial Garden on Long Island.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 12/09/2026

1/2 Hansen was a 7 year old Belgian Sheepdog who worked alongside his handle, Lindenhurst Fire Chief Steve Smaldon for an astonishing 150 days. He found many people, including the bodies of two NYPD officers,

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 The exact date of his death is unknown. Today, we remember the mental toll that 9/11 took on responders both human and animal.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 As a result of this, his handler Mike Owens decided to retire him from SAR work. Upon Worf’s return to his hometown, the community set to work helping him heal from his trauma. The entire community of Monroe, Oh would take turns petting and comforting Worf.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Even the dogs were impacted by what they saw. One such dog was Worf. Worf was a 12 year old German Shepherd who deployed to the scene and found the remains of two firefighters on his first day. Worf was impacted by what he saw. He stopped eating, he shut down. His fur even began falling out.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/4 Nikie actually became depressed as a result of his time at Ground Zero, but never gave up. Nikie’s boots, scarf and other items are on display at the 3/3 9/11 Memorial Museum. Nikie passed away from cancer in 2004.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/4 whom her husband would play fetch with in their backyard. Her husband who was now missing at Ground Zero. Shane was able to discover that the woman’s husband had been the family’s sole breadwinner, and help her connect to services. Nikie also visited with first responders at Ground Zero.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/4 Frank Shane. Almost immediately upon entering a woman walked up to Nikie and hugged her, sobbing into her fur. At first the woman didn’t respond to questions from Shane. After a few moments she spoke, telling Shane that Nikie reminded her of her own dog,

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/4 Not every dog searched for people in the rubble, some dogs searched for ways to help those left behind. One such dog was Nikie. Nikie was a trained therapy dog, and following 9/11 his services were desperately needed. Nikie reported to the Family Assistance Center along with her handler

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 Ricky died as a result of that attack. Today, we remember Ricky.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 Ricky came from Washington state along with his handler, Janet Linker. He worked for ten days straight. Ricky retired from SAR work about a year after 9/11. He retired to the quiet country life where he lived for years as a family pet until he was attacked by a coyote.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Ricky the rat terrier was the smallest dog to deploy to Ground Zero. He was 17” tall and weighed just 18 pounds but he was fearless! And his small size was a huge asset. Ricky was able to travel through small areas where other dogs or people couldn’t fit.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 She was also part of the study at Penn State which followed the health of hero dogs at Ground Zero to determine if they suffered health issues as a result of their service. Sage passed after a battle with cancer in 2012. She was 13 years old. Thank you for your service, Sage.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 seven countries to assist in recovery efforts. Sage was awarded the ACE Award for Excellence in Canine Search and Rescue in 2009 and was the American Humane Association 2011 Hero Dog.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Sage was two when she deployed to the Pentagon with her handler Diane Whetsel. While there, she discovered many people, including one of the bodies of the terrorists who hijacked the plane. She spent many years as a SAR dog, by the time she retired she had traveled to

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

Otto was one of the dogs which deployed to the Pentagon with the National Search Dog Foundation (SDF). He accompanied his trainer, Sonja Heritage. He was on the scene almost immediately as part of Virginia Task Force 1. The pair spent over 10 days searching the site. Today we honor Otto.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 weaving in and out of the small passages, while the images were sent back to screens. Her work was invaluable, it allowed personnel to see inside areas they couldn’t reach. Cara loved skydiving, and her handler actually created a system which allows the military to jump with their dogs.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 become snagged or entangled in the rubble. Instead, someone came up with the idea to use Velcro on the harness so Cara would be able to get free if she got tangled. Forsythe and Cara descended into the rubble with her new harness. Once Forsythe couldn’t fit any further, Cara took over

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Today we remember Cara the skydiving camera dog. Cara deployed as part of Florida Task Force Two along with her handler Mike Forsythe. For days searchers tried to find a way to deploy cameras into the rubble. Forsythe feared that a traditional camera harness could result in injury to Cara if she

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 The work was hard on Trakr, he collapsed from smoke inhalation and suffered burns. After two days his handler decided to return to Canada with Trakr, but the importance of their find was absolutely priceless. Today, we honor Trakr.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 neither Trakr or his handler officer James Symington knew that the value of his previous finds would pale in comparison to the worth of what they would find in NY. Trakr was the dog who found the last survivor, Genelle Guzman-McMillan, at Ground Zero.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Trakr was retired when he deployed to Ground Zero on 9/11. The Canadian dog had already had a distinguished career as a K9, having found over 1 million dollars worth of contraband prior to his retirement in May 2001. But, as they drove 15 hours to offer to help,

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

4/4 A memorial service was held for K9 Sirius, over 100 dog teams came from all over the country, Taps was played, and Sirius was given a 21 gun salute. Today, we especially honor the memory of K9 Sirius.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/4 Sirius was given full police honors as his body was removed from the site. He was draped with a flag, engines were silenced as the entire scene went silent as all personnel on sight saluted the fallen hero.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/5 begged to be allowed to pull his dog from the rubble but was not given the chance as he was placed into an ambulance after himself being pulled from the scene. Lt. Lim was finally given a chance to honor his partner on Jan 22, 2002 when Sirius’s body was removed from the rubble.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/4 Today, it is especially important to remember Sirius. Sirius was a NY Port Authority K9 which deployed to the scene on that early Tuesday morning. Sirius was the only K9 killed on that day, being caught in the falling rubble. His partner Lt David Lim

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 reading when I was younger, too.) Bretagne was the last surviving 9/11 dog. When she passed in 2016 firefighters gave her a honorary final salute. Bretagne was 16 years old when she passed

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 years along with her handler, Fire Captain Denise Corliss, including Hurricane Katrina. Even after she retired from SAR work she didn’t stop, she become a community volunteer even helping encourage kids to read (I had a service dog named Cooper that helped me gain confidence

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Remember them - Bretagne was two years old when the call came for teams to deploy as part of Texas Task Force 1. She worked hard searching the rubble, along with over 300 other SAR dogs and their handlers. She also deployed to other disaster sites through the

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

3/3 Apollo did not want to give up. Apollo lived to be 14. Today, we honor Apollo and all of the other heroes from September 11.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

2/3 Officer Peter Davis says he came running out literally on fire. That didn’t stop this dedicated hero. Once the embers were brushed off his fur he went right back to searching. Apollo refused to leave the sight. He had to be pulled from the rubble,

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

1/3 Remember them - Apollo, first on the scene. On 9/11/01, Apollo was scheduled to receive an ACE Award for Exellence. Instead, this NYPD K9 deployed to Ground Zero just as the towers fell. Apollo, fell into a hole just as the collapse happened, and his partner

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

When she was born, she weighed 1 pound. She deployed from CA. Abby passed away in 2011 after a long career not only at the WTC but also having worked rescue during Hurricane Katrina and in California mudslides.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

Remember them- Abby, a black Labrador who was trained by the National Search Dog Foundation (SDF). Her handler was named Debra Tosch. She was born in the bedroom of the founder of SDF in October 1997.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 11/09/2026

Book recommendation for today, “Thunder Dog,” about a service dog who led her human away from Ground Zero.

a.co

Amazon.com

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 09/09/2026

Thank you so much Kind News! I have always loved connecting with both Kind News magazine and RedRover! If you know of a teacher in grades 3-5, I highly recommend nominating them for a classroom subscription! It’s a great magazine! kindnews.redrover.org/nominate/

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 30/08/2026

Waiting on my papaw’s Honor Guard flight to touch down.

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 28/08/2026

We watched Straight Talk, and at the end everyone honked their horns to let Dolly’s character know they loved her, we should do that, everyone should honk their horns at once to show Dolly’s family how much we love them, and her. How about Saturday at noon EST??? #DollyParton

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Ethan's Rescue Pet Project @ethanspetproject.org · 26/08/2026

Ok, we’re doing a moment of silence at 12:00 pm EST!

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