For a person who is blind, the use of a trained guide dog can mean independence. Once someone becomes accustomed to working with one of these special animals, they find a level of confidence and trust that often surprises them. It is both working dog and pet, offering freedom and friendship.
Trainers want animals that are intelligent and trainable, with a stable temperament, and of sufficient size and weight to steer a human without being so big as to be unmanageable. In 2001, generally the dogs were Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds. The pups were given to volunteers to raise in their homes. Then around 18 months of age, the dogs were taken to a special school, where they spent four to five months of extensive training, learning all they needed to know to both guide and protect their humans. They were taught to ignore distractions such as other animals, people, interesting smells, even loud noises.
And so it was that Roselle, a guide dog in 2001 in one of the twin towers, could ignore the commotion – the sounds, the yelling, the crush of people – as she led her owner down almost eighty flights of stairs to safety on the morning of September 11th.Roselle’s owner,
Michael Hingson, was working high up in the World Trade Center when American Airlines Flight #11 crashed into the building. Although she was afraid of thunder, Roselle seemed to know her first priority was Michael. They finally made it all the way down, and were outside and crossing the street when the South Tower collapsed – even then, Roselle ignored the tremendous roar and remained calm as they sought refuge from falling debris, and eventually made it home.
Others may have seen Roselle as a hero, but Michael knew his beloved guide dog’s actions were the result of excellent training combined with the special bond that can exist between humans and animals that trust each other, especially in a disaster, when you’re speaking of pets.
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