September 11, 2008

Roselle helped Hingson flee Tower 1, enduring 78 flights of stairs. (Pet Pulse Design by Tim Mattson, Photo Courtesy of Guide Dogs for the Blind)

NEW YORK -- Where the World Trade Center once stood, an obstructive fence diminishes the public’s view of Ground Zero, but for a blind man, Michael Hingson, memories of 9-11 remain within arm’s length, in his former guide dog, Roselle.

Roselle helped Hingson flee Tower 1, enduring 78 flights of stairs -- which was only the beginning. Once they exited the building, their lives remained in danger.

"The most miraculous part of the story to me is the part that people don’t pay attention to," Hingson told Pet Pulse from his home in California. "That is, that we were less than a hundred yards away from Tower 2 when it collapsed. And we had to run for our lives, literally, to get away from the falling tower.

Hingson says Roselle displayed the same qualities that fateful day that she always had.

"She did exactly what she was supposed to do to keep us running and avoiding other people," he said. "Because everyone was running in sheer terror and panic."

In lower Manhattan, Ground Zero’s cranes fill the sky, constant reminders of Sept. 11 to passersby on the local streets. In the shadows of the site of the attacks sits the fire company, Ladder 10. Its firefighters who paid the ultimate price on 9-11 are memorialized outside the firehouse, their faces etched on an expansive bronze plaque.

Meanwhile, Roselle lives with Hingson, though she is no longer his guide dog. Roselle retired 2004 when she was diagnosed with a blood disease that’s now under control.

A former marketer and salesman, Hingson has a Master's in physics. He now impacts people around the world as a motivational speaker, with talks focusing on the importance of teamwork and inclusion.

During a recent speech to U.S. soldiers, Hingson said, "What guide dogs are really about are not guiding blind people from one place to another, but that guide dogs represent teamwork in action, in the most basic and realistic way possible."

After Hingson's speech, the soldiers gave him a standing ovation.

"Mr. Hingson and Roselle showed all of us today that without having that trust and line of communication from both ends, that you cannot work as a team," one solider said.

Another audience member said, "There really is something to be said about the human spirit, and what we can overcome. And like he says, he doesn’t overcome it alone, he overcomes it with Roselle."

Then there are the search and rescue dogs that responded in the aftermath of 9-11. Estimates say that up to 350 dogs were working either at Ground Zero or at the other sites affected by the attacks.

A University of Pennsylvania study has tracked about 100 of those dogs, finding that, for the most part, they’ve suffered no ill effects as a result of their work.

"I think the legacy is one of an example of what our animal friends can do, and what we can do when we team with them, and work with them," Hingson said. "It shows how much better we all are, or can be, when we work, and play, and love together."

Construction of the new World Trade Center continues, while traffic was brisk at the visitors center and memorial. Like time, Roselle and Hingson are marching on.

"I think 9-11 offers us a chance to think about lessons that we could learn from what happened," Hingson said. "I think about the time right after 9-11, when this country was so unified. And now we are more divided than we have ever been. We don’t need to do that."

"In the midst of tragedy," Hingson said during his speech, "we can sometimes find our true strengths."

For more information about the message of Hingson and Roselle, visit MichaelHingson.com.

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