Apollo, The First 9/11 Rescue Dog To Arrive At Ground Zero
People’s Dispensary for Sick AnimalsApollo was awarded a Dickin Medal — the animal version of the Victoria Cross — for his bravery as a 9/11 rescue dog.
Apollo the German Shepherd had served with the N.Y.P.D. K-9 unit for many years before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 — and as such, he had already proven himself to be handy in an emergency. He and his trainer, Peter Davis, were among the first wave of workers called in to help with the rescue operation.
“We were there right after the buildings collapsed,” Davis said, according to the American Kennel Club. “To get to the rubble, we had to go through almost waist-deep water. All of a sudden [Apollo] disappeared, fell into a hole. Then this big fireball comes up and he comes running out. He was on fire. I brushed off the burning embers and he went right back to searching.”
Apollo was later awarded a Dickin Medal, sometimes called “the animals’ Victoria Cross,” by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a British veterinary charity.
He accepted the award on behalf of all 9/11 rescue dogs, with the citation reading: “For tireless courage in the service of humanity during the search and rescue operations in New York and Washington on and after 11 September 2001. Faithful to words of command and undaunted by the task, the dogs’ work and unstinting devotion to duty stand as a testament to those lost or injured.”
After reading about the heroic rescue dogs of 9/11, go inside the heartwarming stories of 11 of history’s most loyal canines. Then, meet the Mercy Dogs, the unsung canine heroes of World War I.
