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The Ones Left Behind
By Robyn Shepherd

In the immediate wake of the World Trade Center disaster, thousands of people were forced to flee their homes, leaving their pets to an uncertain fate. In the first few hours, people were concerned about getting themselves and their loved ones to safety. Many thought they would be able to return to their homes. Many were simply unable to gather their pets in time. But the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals realized that it wouldn't be long before owners' anxieties turned to their animals, left in a dusty, debris-filled atmosphere devoid of electricity, food and water.

Sure enough, within 24 hours of the disaster, hundreds of people started calling the ASPCA in response to their rescue effort at Ground Zero. People were not only calling to ask about the welfare of their pets, but the pets of their missing neighbors and family members. On September 13, at least 50 volunteers were dispatched to shift the organization's headquarters from uptown Manhattan to mobile units 15 blocks away from Ground Zero on King Street. There, rescued animals were given medical treatment, reunited with their owners, or placed in foster homes.

ASPCA director Gail Buchwald explains the importance of rescuing these animals. "Companion animals are a source of comfort and security to their owners. For those owners who were separated from their pets, finding their animals again helps them to re-gain their sense of control and well-being. In cases of perished pet owners, the pets may represent the last link the family has to their beloved, and they may express the strong desire to adopt the animals."

The process of rescuing the beloved pets was an arduous one. After being alerted to the location of an animal by calls, search-and-rescue teams from the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) department entered abandoned buildings that were sometimes strewn with debris. Lacking electricity, they had to maneuver dark, cramped staircases with the aid of flashlights. One of the few camera crews allowed on location, the Animal Planet channel documented HLE special agents climbing as many as 36 flights of stairs to reach the apartments. "We hope that a toilet seat was left up, or that people were using automatic feeders," Special Agent Mark MacDonald said on that program. Many times, Buchwald says, the officers arrived at the apartments to find that the animals, reported by well-meaning neighbors, had already been rescued by their owners.

Some pets were harder to catch than others. "Cats pose a challenge because, when frightened, they will hide beneath furniture or debris and are difficult to retrieve," says Buchwald. In many cases, this is why owners could not take their pets with them when they fled. Also problematic were exotic animals, such as turtles, because they had to be removed from their tanks and controlled environments and "re-homed."

Most of the pets rescued by the ASPCA were found in enough time to be in good condition. In the first few weeks, the mobile hospital near Ground Zero treated animals for dehydration and respiratory problems related to ash and debris. Many animals were treated for eye irritations. The overall good condition of the animals was due in part to the compassion of others. "In many cases," says Buchwald, "Building managers and superintendents had gone into the buildings before they were evacuated and put down food and water."

Buchwald reports that there were very few orphans. "Next of kin and friends of victims have come forward to claim the pets. In a few cases, like in the case of two cats that belonged to a firefighter who perished, we have found some pets wonderful adopted homes."

Gail's sister Emily, a pediatrician, found herself giving foster care to three cats that belonged to a man she never met. Their owner initially fled from his ash and debris-strewn apartment in Battery Park City to Boston, but was able to return a few days later to replenish their food and water. He is now staying with family in upstate New York. It was two weeks before he realized that the ASPCA had rescued his cats.

"I didn't have any information on them," she says. "I didn't know how old they were. I didn't know their names."

After speaking with the owner, Emily realized that he was traumatized by the incident, and was unsure when he'd be back to pick up his pets. Four weeks later, Tippy, Munchy, and Chili Pepper are the only WTC animals still in foster care. But Emily, who has no other pets, doesn't mind the extra company. Despite a rough start, she says they're "one big happy family." The cats are in good condition. One of the cats is getting over a respiratory infection, for which Emily had to give it antibiotics. And Tippy was initially loathe to warm up to a new owner.

"I thought she was evil.," Emily says. "She wouldn't let me get into bed. I referred to her affectionately as Bin Laden in the first few days. But now they sleep in my bed with me, and they're very happy."

Emily's charges are lucky. Some of the rescued animals were in far worse condition. A pedigree Persian named Precious was stuck on the hot tar roof of her building for 11 days, with nothing to eat and nothing to drink but rainwater. When rescue workers finally heard her crying on the roof, her paws were burned. But she was given the medical attention she needed and returned to her owner.

The efforts of the ASPCA have resulted in the rescue of approximately 200 animals. 300 additional animals received treatment from ASPCA veterinarians. Currently, the organization is providing pet bereavement services for those whose pets were not able to be rescued. "Those who have lost their pets grieve for them as much as they would in the event of any tragic loss they might experience," says Buchwald. In the Animal Planet special "Animal Precint at Ground Zero," one woman agonized over how to tell her daughter that the family dog escaped during the evacuation and was probably lost under the debris.

"I can't lie to her," the woman sobbed. "But I can't tell her that Freckles is in the wreckage."

As depicted on "Animal Precinct," owners (many of whose names cannot be released by the ASPCA) who feared the worst often became extremely emotional when reuniting with their pets. One man insisted that he meet the officer that saved his cat, Ginger. "Thank you," he said as he embraced his pet's rescuer. "We're all together now."

Amazingly, more than a month after the disaster, only one of the animals rescued is without a foster home, as its owners left New York and could not take their cat with them. But the cat's future is by no means bleak.

"I have to be it's mommy," says Emily Buchwald, who has warmed up to the idea of being a pet owner. "When these kitties go back to their original owner, I would like to take that one."

Although there was much to attend to at the site of the World Trade Center, the ASPCA's rescue effort demonstrated that every form of life was precious. The HLE agents who entered the buildings battled respiratory problems and difficult climbs up dark stairwells to make sure that every pet possible was saved.

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