After paying a visit to Madison Square Park, I think it’s fair to say that we all stopped by the Dog Run that was located in the outer-corner area of the park. It not only made us stop for a quick minute, but it also brought a sense of peace seeing the dogs run around with one another. That brings us to our proposal where we thought it was best if we incorporate the great impact that the 9/11 terrorist attack had on the United States and the world, leading to a sense of unity amongst people and the attraction that the dog run has on people. For context, the use of service dogs in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks played a crucial role in providing support and comfort to both rescue workers and survivors. These specially trained dogs were deployed to Ground Zero in New York City to assist in search and rescue efforts, locating survivors, and providing emotional support to those affected by the tragedy.

The heroism displayed by first responders, firefighters, police officers, and other emergency personnel was a source of inspiration. However, up to this day most of us weren’t informed or even thought about the service dogs that also played a role in providing support to anyone whether it was emotionally or physically. Therefore, we thought it was best to put a memorial of five service dogs that either passed away that day or later on  Over 300 service dogs searched and provided aid when mankind couldn’t. It’s only fair that the dogs get this memorial placed right in front of the dog run in order to grasp the attention of the people, and have this local memorial bring attraction from all over the world. Despite the relative lack of widespread recognition, the contributions of service dogs during 9/11 were invaluable. These dogs and their handlers played a vital role in search and rescue operations, providing comfort to survivors and responders alike.

Our memorial would consist of a 3D statue of 5 different service dogs who each would et a name plaque with a brief description of what they did and how they helped during 9/11, While the five dogs are standing there would be a sculpture of the twin towers in the back and we planned on making them black while including an extra two city buildings to show that the twin towers are gone now yet show importance up to today. Each dog would be made of either brass, aluminum, ceramic or stone. We want to have them displayed on a marble ground so people are able to walk around them and really capture what the dogs looked like and how their little bodies were able to help rescue servela wounded people that unfortunately7 were stuck in debris of the collapsed towers. Each plaque would contain information like these: Riley was a search and rescue Golden Retriever who was formally trained to locate survivors of the attacks, desperately searching the World Trade Center as part of FEMA’s Pennsylvania Task Force 1. Apollo was a German Shepherd, graduated from the NYPD Canine Special Operations Division when he was two years old. From that moment on, Apollo looked for survivors 18 hours a day for weeks. His search and rescue work earned him one of the first AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence in 2001. Sage was two years old when the search and rescue Border Collie and her handler, Diane Whetsel, worked at the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks. Once retired, Sage became a part of the 9/11 search and rescue dog study done by the University of Pennsylvania, funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation. Bretagne (Brit-nee) was a Golden Retriever known as the last living search and rescue dog to have worked at Ground Zero. Bretagne and her owner-handler Denise Corliss worked 12-hour shifts on rescue and recovery for 10 days straight after the attacks on September 11. This Golden Retriever’s career training began at just eight weeks old, making her a lifelong veteran of rescue missions including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ivan. Trakr was a German Shepherd who answered the call for action that fateful day with his Canadian police officer and handler James Symington. The duo is credited with finding the last remaining survivor from the World Trade Center after she had been trapped for 26 hours. 

All in all, the Madison Square Park would greatly benefit from this memorial in the sense that more tourist and locals would pay a visit at the memorial and leave with thai is a memory that will stay with them forever because its not common to see memorials on animals but they are just as special and hold an important part in people’s hearts. The remembrance of 9/11 highlights the heroism of first responders, firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, and ordinary citizens who selflessly risked their lives to save others. Recognizing these acts of bravery is essential in celebrating the resilience and courage displayed during challenging times.

(Heidi Andrade Castillo, Afolabi Murdaugh)