Guide dog will always be his hero

Michael Hingson has told this story countless times. "On Sept. 11, 2001, my guide dog Roselle and I were working in the World Trade Center on the 78th floor of Tower One when the airplane crashed into our building."

Amid the horror and confusion that surrounded him, Mr. Hingson, who is blind, never doubted that the 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever would lead him to safety.

"From the outset, Roselle guided and did her job perfectly, as we went to the stairwell and traveled down 1,463 stairs.

"After leaving the building, we were across the street from Tower Two when it collapsed. Despite the dust and chaos, Roselle remained calm and totally focused on her job, as debris fell around us and even hit us.

"We found a subway entrance, where we could escape the heavy dust. All that day Roselle worked flawlessly. She saved my life and truly is the greatest dog hero of all."

Mr. Hingson wrote this when he nominated Roselle for the first American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. This week he learned more than 300,000 voters picked her as one of the eight finalists.

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Written by Linda Wilson Fuoco
Image via American Humane Association