Roselle with her owner Michael Hingson. (Photo credit: X/@kaalicharan)
New Delhi: On September 11, 2001, the United States was rocked by four coordinated terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were demolished, as chaos and fear gripped America on that day and the days that came. It was a day of tragedy. But thanks to a brave dog, it was also a day of hope for some people.
The courage of Roselle
On that fateful day, Michael Hingson who was a sales director and blind since birth, came to work as usual on the 78th floor of Tower One at the World Trade Center. He had a guide dog named Roselle, who made herself comfortable below the desk, her usual post. At 8:45 a.m., a hijacked jetliner rammed the tower 18 floors above Hingson.
He first called his wife, Karen, and then went on to ensure that his staff was being evacuated. Then Hingson, guided by Roselle, began the descent of 78 flights of stairs to survive the terror attack and a collapsing building. Hingson knew about the emergency procedures of the building very well, which would come in handy.
The descent of 1,460 steps
Hingson and his employees, guided by Roselle, began their descent of over 1,460 steps from the 78th floor. They encountered burn victims, and there was one woman who was finding it difficult to breathe and out of panic began to believe that there was no way they could make it out of the building. But Roselle had other ideas.
As the woman panicked and others proceeded to give her a group hug, Roselle started giving her kisses. As a guide dog, she could sense the fear that gripped the woman. Once the woman recovered somewhat, Roselle began to lead the group in their descent once again. They saw firefighters going up to douse the flames, with some of those brave personnel giving Roselle pets.
As they neared the 50th floor, Hingson’s colleague David Frank began to panic, which spread among the rest of the group as well. This time, Hingson took the initiative to calm them down. The group members had formed a sense of trust with one another, guided by Roselle, who did not lose her composure despite the adversity.
A breath of fresh air
The group managed to reach the main lobby but were warned by the officials about the dangerous debris including dead bodies that were pouring down onto the street. So they went to the central complex and discovered that there was another exit for them.
The moment they came out the tower began to collapse. The debris and dust were thick in the air, as people began to run in fear. The situation became doubly chaotic for someone like Hingson who could not run. But he had Roselle by his side against all odds.
Roselle and Hingson began to make their way through the hailstorm, and suddenly, the dog stopped in her tracks. Hingson, fearing some danger because guide dogs normally stop like that when they see something unsafe, lunged forward. His hands touched a rail. They had reached a subway station. Just 10 minutes after the duo emerged from the subway station, the North Tower collapsed. There was no World Trade Center.
The aftermath
After Hingson returned to his New Jersey home, he removed the harness of Roselle. She immediately grabbed her favourite toy and wanted to play. Even after all she had been through that day, after leading a bunch of people including her blind owner to safety, Roselle showed no trace of fear.
The story of Roselle and Hingson and her bravado began to spread as a ray of hope amid the massive carnage. They began to attend talk shows and radio shows, where they recounted their journey of survival. To Roselle, those places became the source of receiving unlimited pets.
But she received actual awards as well. In 2002, the American Kennel Club honoured her with an award for ‘canine excellence’ among service dogs. In 2004, Roselle was diagnosed with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. Hingson believes it was caused due to the toxic air conditions she faced on that tragic day.
The legend lives on
Roselle braved a collapsing building, so she could certainly overcome the disease. And she did, for seven years. When she passed away on June 26, 2011, at the age of 14, Hingson was right beside her. An inseparable bond undone only by death.
In 2011, Michael penned down their story in the acclaimed book, ‘Thunder Dog: The Story of a Blind Man, a Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero’. Also, Hingson and his wife set up Roselle’s Dream Foundation in her honour. It educates people on blindness and assists blind children and adults in obtaining technology to help them navigate the world around them.
The legend of Roselle lives on, reminding us again and again why dogs are considered the best friends of human beings. For they never leave our side, come what may.
