The Dogs of 9/11… For 12 hours daily the dogs toil without respiratory, foot or eye protection, unlike their human counterparts. Footwear can compromise their toe-splaying grip on unstable surfaces, and gas masks defeat the purpose of finding remains.

I visit the K-9 Center in Brooklyn, New York. Officer Chris Hanley releases out of a tank-like truck K-9 Kieffer. The wiry German-shepherd bounces out. His spirit is returning. The burdensome days at Ground Zero zapped him. His handler, Officer Hanley has worked our after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month, to motivate and inspire Kieffer to use all his resources to find remains. There are 32 such highly trained K-9s from the Brooklyn department working at the Pile at any given day, 24/7.

"It's astounding where these dogs can go, places were even the smallest human can't fit. A steel beam gets lifted, a new void is uncovered. The dogs use all their training, and then some." Officer Hanley