8/1/02

Anna, beloved partner and companion of Sarah Atlas, has died.
Anna was a Search and Rescue dog who participated in the work at Ground Zero on 9/11. She sustained injuries there and was being treated at the University of Pennsylvania for spinal damage and other problems. The prognosis was good, and Anna was expected to recover. But she continued to have severe pain. When Sarah took Anna to the hospital last week, it was discovered that the damage had progressed from bacterial to a far more serious fungal invasion of the bones. The decision was made to end her pain.
Sarah knows she made the right decision, the only possible decision. She is grieving for the loss of her friend and family member.
Those of us who attended the last SHARE meeting had a chance to spend some time with Anna, and to see some of the awards she had received for her work. There were medals, plaques, statues, and more. Anna was a true hero who worked because of her love for Sarah. She will be missed more than words can say. But, of course, we in the animal community understand what Sarah is going through. Please let her know you care. You can reach Sarah Atlas at 114 Moore Ave., Barrington, NJ, 08007

2/28/02

Sarah Atlas was our special guest speaker, and although my words cannot begin to convey the feelings she evoked, I'll try to let you know what Sarah shared with us.

Seven years ago, Sarah purchased Josie, a 16 week old puppy from a police canine officer. She then obtained Racker, a 2-1/2 year old retiree (for medical reasons) from the police department. Sarah had planned to train him for Schutzhund competition, but discovered his real niche was tracking. Josie and Racker became inseparable and both attained therapy dog certification from Therapy Dogs Incorporated. Racker was an excellent tracker, and worked with Sarah to locate missing persons for local police departments. Anna joined the family 4 years ago. Racker was diagnosed with a degenerative spinal disease and humanely "put to sleep." Josie continues to share Sarahs life with Anna.

Sarah is a member of New Jersey Task Force One - Urban Search and Rescue. She and Anna, her 4 year old German Shepherd, were deployed via pager with their team to New York City within 15 minutes of the first plane hitting. Sarah came down with pneumonia, and Anna suffered from burns on her belly, sore paws, dehydration and a systemic bacterial infection which formed lesions on her spine that is eating away at her bones. The American Kennel Club provided a grant to the University of Pennsylvania that will do a three year study of the 300 dogs and their handlers who were part of the Search & Rescue efforts at the World Trade Center, as well as 100 dogs who were not involved and who will be studied as a control group. Local dogs will be treated at the U of P, and other dogs around the country will be treated by their own doctors with results sent to the U of P. The grant will pay for the treatment and study. Anna is receiving antibiotics at a cost of $500 per month, and all costs are covered by the grant and by additional funding from Virtua Health Systems, Sarahs employer. Additional free medical help was donated by Dr. Gloria Weintraub of Medford, NJ, and Dr. Paul Kinnear from Staten Island, Annas regular vet. PetsMart of Deptford donated free grooming to remove the stench of working in toxic conditions. Anna will never be able to return to Search & Rescue work because of her illness, but she is expected to eventually recover and work as a therapy dog, visiting people in hospitals or nursing homes, bringing them comfort and companionship. Meanwhile, Sarah has found a new dog who will be trained for Search & Rescue. The children in three Haddonfield schools heard about Sarah and Anna, and they organized a fundraising event at the Haddonfield High School track, where they walked, ran, and skipped around the track to help raise money for the purchase of the new dog. They raised about $5000, and the American Red Cross also donated $5000, which will cover the $10,000 cost of the dog who is being imported from Holland. Virtua had also said they would purchase the dog if funds werent available.

Anna's lesions are very painful, and Anna's body is so sensitive that she cries even when patted gently. The treatment she is receiving will hopefully dissolve the lesions and the infection will be cured, but her condition now is also very stressful for Sarah. Additionally, Sarah has received calls and messages from some animal activists who question her motives. They ask how she could "force" her dog to go into such a dangerous situation. Sarah explained that Anna and the other dogs love their work. There is no way anyone could force them to do that kind of job if they weren't enjoying it. In fact, Sarah has returned to New York twice to pay her respects since the search ended for her. The first time, Anna got out of the car and her entire body began shaking, but the next time Anna started trying to dig and her body language showed how eager she was to search. Even now, when Sarah reaches for her work gear, Anna becomes excited and shows that she wants to work, just as any other dog gets excited when their person reaches for their leash to go for a walk.

It takes 18 to 24 months to teach the basics to a S&R dog. The basic cost for a dog is about $5000, but because Sarah is working 2 part time jobs and going to college full time, her schedule does not permit her to do the training. So the dog she is buying will have all the basic training, including land and water cadaver training, and live find urban rescue. Also, since the world situation is so tense, everyone is buying bomb dogs, and it is very hard to find available dogs to train for S&R.

Sarah explained the rigors of training for Urban Search & Rescue, and the reason that a replacement dog is so expensive. After all, it could seem unreasonable to spend so much for a dog when there are thousands of homeless dogs being euthanized in shelters. But the standards for a S&R dog are extremely rigid. German Shepherd breeders in Germany award an A stamp to dogs who have been tested for mental and physical soundness. These dogs are then approved for breeding purposes which allows the breed to remain close to the standard. In the US, judging for German Shepherds have created a dog with a distorted body, with the legs so extended that the "ideal" dog appears to be walking on his hocks. Also, the US has the idea that "bigger is better." This leads to hip dysplasia and other problems. European dogs are smaller, and retain the physical fitness of a working dog. Good search dogs must be high energy, the kind of dog that often ends up in a shelter because they "get into trouble." Working dogs are naturally active animals, with great endurance and powerful muscles. The smarter they are, the more they need to be kept busy. When highly intelligent dogs are expected to sit quietly all day, they become bored and frustrated.

Sarah has also received many calls and letters from people who have seen televised reports of the S&R dogs and would like to get involved with their own dogs. Sarah explained that the requirements and training are not at all glamorous. Most dogs are trained for "Wilderness Search & Rescue," where their work is in fields and flat ground. But the dogs used for Urban S&R are taught to walk on incredibly rough, unstable and variable surfaces. They are off leash and wear no collars so they dont get caught on protruding debris. The dogs are trained to walk on elevated 4" x 4"s, climb high ladders, sit quietly in a sling while being moved by a crane at great heights. Police dogs are taught to jump through windows to find people, but Urban S&R dogs are taught to stop and assess the situation. At one point, Sarah instructed Anna to move ahead and Anna refused. Despite repeated commands from Sarah, Anna would not budge. When Sarah reached the place where Anna was standing, she saw that there was a fourteen story drop. Had Anna followed commands instead of using her training and thinking for herself, she would have died.

All FEMA certified dogs are trained for live scent and bark continuously until their handler acknowledges what they have found. Not as many are trained for cadavers. Because most of the dogs there were only trained for live find, and the scents they found were human but not live, they developed their own form of alert, which was to scratch at the area where they found a body. Annas method was to stare at the spot, then at Sarah, and back at the spot until Sarah arrived at the location. Most of the dogs showed signs of severe depression because they found constant death instead of survivors.

Sarahs team is all volunteer, with 152 people and 10 dogs. Many of the dogs developed hot spots and are being studied for other problems that may show up over the next three years. Some dogs developed sore muscles from the rigorous climbing, sore pads from walking on unstable debris, and other injuries from the work and contamination at the site. All the teams are totally self-contained units for a limited time, with all their supplies and equipment in their vehicles, but they were used to working much shorter shifts. In NY, teams worked 17 hour days. Dogs and people had to be decontaminated after each round of searching to remove asbestos, microscopic glass particles, pulverized fluorescent lights and other toxins. Some areas that they searched had been used to hold narcotics from government investigations, and heroin was floating in the air. The entire area was smoldering, with diesel fumes, smoke from burning paper, plastic and furniture, and decaying bodies.

There were donations from around the country, and local business were extremely generous. Restaurants brought trucks filled with hot soup and warm sandwiches. Pet shops brought dog food, brushes, bandannas, crates and toys. The Salvation Army provided clothes in all sizes, underwear and pajamas, and even chapstick for cracked lips. Restaurants welcomed the rescuers with their dogs to their fancy tables. Massage therapists, chiropractors, laundry services and shop keepers, volunteered their services day and night to help the rescuers keep going. Ice cream was especially welcome. In addition to the 300 S&R dogs from around the country, the Red Cross had a crew of therapy dogs at all parts of the site to provide "hugs" to the family members and volunteers.

Sarah saw many things that showed how deeply people cared and how many ways they were trying to help. A man and woman carrying bulging suitcases in each hand appeared, and asked for directions. They had picked up roaming cats who had escaped from neighboring apartments when windows were shattered, and they were trying to get to an animal shelter. A couple of FBI agents loaded them into a car and drove them uptown to the shelter.

Sarah said she thought she would be okay after working in New York. She works as an Emergency Medical Technician and has encountered severely injured people many times. But the enormity of 9/11 was more than anyone could comprehend. When she returned home, it hit her "like a ton of bricks." After days of seeing only grays and browns, with everything covered with dust, she found bright colors offensive. She had difficulty speaking, and could not remember familiar locations and directions. She is still going through counseling, and she knows the experience will continue to haunt her, and all the people and animals who were there, far into the future.

In addition to caring for Anna and herself, Sarah is currently attending college full-time to get her degree as a paramedic. She and Anna continue to be members of Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs. She has offered to do dog temperament testing at area shelters. She works for Virtua Health Systems and the Haddonfield Fire Department. And she does dog training for private individuals. The money that has already been raised will pay for her new dog, who is coming to the US March 14, and who will go through a period of training before going to Sarahs home. Any excess money will go to other S&R groups.

A major problem for the NJ Task Force One Urban Search & Rescue Team is that it is funded by the State of NJ. With the recently announced budget crisis, state funds have been frozen. Equipment that has already been ordered cannot be paid for. Her team is deployable all over the country, not just in NJ. To keep them in top condition, their team travels to training sessions nationwide. As long as the funds are frozen, they cannot get the training and equipment they need to carry out their mission. Sarah hopes that people will contact state legislators and ask that the money be released.

Sarahs message to everyone with animals - be prepared. If possible, have a carrier ready for every animal in your household, and fill it with emergency supplies. If you are forced to evacuate, try to take your animals with you. Most shelters do not allow dogs, but leaving them behind can be a death sentence. She also would like to see shelters cooperate and have a large (18 foot) trailer filled with carriers in case there is a need for a large-scale rescue.

To contact Sarah, write to her at 114 Moore Ave., Barrington, NJ 08007. Her email address is satlas5471@aol.com.