Riley, The Iconic Hero Dog Of The 9/11 Search And Rescue Effort
Jim Watson/U.S. NavyRiley was a member of FEMA’s Pennsylvania Task Force 1.
Riley was one of some 300 dogs deployed to search for survivors at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Despite only turning up the bodies of victims, Riley was steadfast in his resolve to find anyone who was still living among the wreckage.
Chris Selfridge, Riley’s handler, told The New York Times, “We went there expecting to find hundreds of people trapped. But we didn’t find anybody alive.”
“Riley knew the people he continued to find were dead,” he said. “He was never a formally trained cadaver dog. His job was to find the still living. I tried my best to tell Riley he was doing his job. He had no way to know that when firefighters and police officers came over to hug him, and for a split second you can see them crack a smile — that Riley was succeeding at doing an altogether different job. He provided comfort. Or maybe he did know.”
Riley was also photographed being lifted over a 60-foot-deep chasm of debris via a pulley system to search for survivors. It became one of the most iconic images from the 9/11 search and rescue effort, making the canine a nationally recognized hero.
