9/11 SAR Dog, Jake

Postby iluvk9 » July 26th, 2007, 9:23 am

RIP, Jake.


9/11 Search-and-Rescue Dog Dies After Cancer Fight

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

July 26, 2007

A black Labrador who became a national canine hero after burrowing through white-hot, smoking debris in search of survivors at the World Trade Center site died yesterday after a battle with cancer.

Owner Mary Flood had Jake euthanized yesterday after a last stroll through the fields and a dip in the creek near their home in Oakley, Utah. He was in too much pain at the end, shaking with a 105-degree fever as he lay on the lawn.

No one can say whether the dog would have gotten sick if he hadn't been exposed to the smoky air at Ground Zero, but cancer in dogs Jake's age - he was 12 - is quite common.

Some rescue dog owners who worked at the World Trade Center site claim their animals have died because of their work at Ground Zero.

But scientists who have spent years studying the health of Sept. 11 search-and-rescue dogs have found no sign of major illness in the animals.

The results of an autopsy on Jake's cancer-riddled body will be part of a University of Pennsylvania medical study of Sept. 11 search-and-rescue dogs.

Flood had adopted Jake as a 10-month-old disabled puppy, who had been abandoned on a street with a broken leg and a dislocated hip.

"But against all odds he became a world-class rescue dog," said Flood, a member of Utah Task Force 1, one of eight federal search-and-rescue teams that desperately looked for human remains at Ground Zero.

Flood eventually trained Jake to become one of fewer than 200 U.S. government-certified rescue dogs - a muscular animal on 24-hour call to tackle disasters such as building collapses, earthquakes, hurricanes and avalanches.

After Hurricane Katrina, Flood and Jake drove 30 hours from Utah to Mississippi, where they searched through the rubble of flooded homes in search of survivors.

In recent years, Jake helped train younger dogs and their handlers across the country. Jake showed other dogs how to track scents even in the snow and how to look up if the scent was in a tree.

He also did therapy work with children at a Utah camp for burn victims and at senior homes and hospitals.

"He believed that his cup was always full, never half-full," Flood says. "He was always ready to work, eager to play - and a master at helping himself to any unattended food items."

Cynthia Otto of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, who is researching the health of Sept. 11 dogs, expects Jake and the other animals being analyzed will serve as sentinels on possible long-term consequences stemming from 9/11.

Jake's ashes will be scattered "in places that were important to him," says Flood, like his Utah training grounds, and the rivers and hills near his home where he swam and roamed.


http://www.newsday.com/search/ny-nydog2 ... 6990.story
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 26th, 2007, 9:31 am

RIP Jake.
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby iluvk9 » July 26th, 2007, 9:33 am

I couldn't pull up his photo on line, but he was a gorgeous looking dog.
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Postby iluvk9 » July 26th, 2007, 9:50 am

Beth found this one of Jake at work.

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Postby iluvk9 » July 26th, 2007, 10:06 am

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Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 26th, 2007, 10:12 am

He died a hero, and it sounds like he lived an amazing, long life.
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

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Postby katiek0417 » July 26th, 2007, 10:53 am

I have a very special place in my heart for the 9/11 rescue dogs as Sacha's daddy was one of them...

So, RIP Jake....you had a wonderful life and did many wonderful things...now it's your turn to run free in the fields!!!
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Postby Jenn » July 26th, 2007, 4:39 pm

RIP Jake
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Postby cheekymunkee » July 26th, 2007, 6:10 pm

Run free Jake. :cry:
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Postby luvmypitties » July 26th, 2007, 9:28 pm

How sad!! RIP Jake!!!
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Postby Beth » July 26th, 2007, 10:06 pm

Jake was and always will be a true hero. Run free sweet boy.
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Postby msvette2u » July 27th, 2007, 12:37 am

RIP Jake - you were a true hero!
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Postby Xblondiexdorkx » July 28th, 2007, 12:01 am

Aww thats sad R.I.P Jake!!!! :cry2:
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R.I.P Allie
R.I.P Noah
R.I.P Corey
You all will be missed.
i love you all!!!
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Postby randi81 » July 30th, 2007, 11:39 am

I actually went to the 9/11 Memorial for the first time last night.. it was humbling. RIP Jake ~ one of many, many heroes!
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