Honoring The Four-Legged Heroes

Banjo, a therapy dog, at a Sept. 11 tribute to honor the canines who served on the day. (Susannah George / NPR)

NPR's Joel Rose was in New Jersey today, where he stumbled upon another Sept. 11 tribute:

A different breed of heroes from September 11th gathered across the Hudson River from Ground Zero. Dozens of service and therapy dogs from around the country gathered with their handlers at Liberty State Park. The event, billed as "Finding One Another," was intended to celebrate the contributions of search and rescue dogs on 9/11 and since.

Finding One Another says on its website that it has identified almost 1,000 working dog teams that worked at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Shanksville site. During the ceremony, there was a moment of remembrance in which "towns, firehouses, churches, and other institutions across the country [sounded] sirens and [rung] bells for one minute."

Finding One Another says the canines have "never been fully honored."

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