Post by Brooke on Dec 29, 2004 21:50:29 GMT -5
Posted on Wed, Dec. 22, 2004
9/11 rescue dog becomes part of new effort to save people
BY NIKKI WALLER
Miami Herald
Three years ago, Mizu the rescue dog helped search for bodies in the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center.
There at ground zero, Mizu, who works for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, spent two weeks sniffing the rubble for signs of survivors -- or their remains.
Now Mizu, a 9-year-old German shepherd who lives in Southwest Ranches, is participating in a scientific study on the effects of inhaling the asbestos-laden cloud of gases and dust that covered Lower Manhattan after the attack.
The results of the study could save human lives. Since the dogs did not have masks to protect them, and since their metabolism works faster than people's, scientists are monitoring the animals to see if they develop any illnesses because of their exposure.
If they do, it may provide an early warning of problems that would only show up in humans years later.
''Dogs live a more compact life than humans. Their hearts beat faster, there's more packed into those years,'' said Kurt Iverson, a spokesman for dog-food manufacturer Iams, one of the study's sponsors. ``What happens to them gives us an indication in what humans can expect down the line.''
So Mizu travels yearly to the Iams Pet Imaging Center in Vienna, Va., where veterinarians use magnetic resonance imaging to view her brain, sinus cavity, nasal passages, glands and other soft tissues where diseases can develop. The scans give vets a three-dimensional view that reveals tumors or cancers that can't be caught by X-rays.
So far, the news is good for the 17 dogs in the study, whose other sponsors include the University of Pennsylvania and the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation.
A recent progress report said the dogs appear to be in good health and cancer-free.
''It really is surprising at her age that she's going strong,'' says Mizu's owner, firefighter Billy Kidd, of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's aviation unit. ``It's a real hazardous job.''
Disaster dogs usually die of cancer by age 7 or 8; the grueling job wears on their bodies and grinds down their joints, says Kidd.
The 9/11 study caps a long career for Mizu, who first learned to search for victims by playing hide-and-seek with puppy toys at a rescue-dog training center.
Kidd and Mizu have served in recovery missions around the world, arriving in the wake of earthquakes and explosions. At ground zero, they put in 12- and 14-hour days.
In 2003, when the Columbia space shuttle exploded over Texas, they scoured 300 miles of woodlands for signs of bodies or evidence. Mizu managed to find human remains amid the finely distributed debris, but she also breathed in toxic gases and volatile fluids.
Leading a loyal companion into danger is the hardest part of the job, says Kidd. But the work helps brings closure to families and honors the deceased.
''After this long career,'' he says, ``I'd almost rather her go during a rescue, trying to help somebody than die of old age or cancer.''
9/11 rescue dog becomes part of new effort to save people
BY NIKKI WALLER
Miami Herald
Three years ago, Mizu the rescue dog helped search for bodies in the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center.
There at ground zero, Mizu, who works for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, spent two weeks sniffing the rubble for signs of survivors -- or their remains.
Now Mizu, a 9-year-old German shepherd who lives in Southwest Ranches, is participating in a scientific study on the effects of inhaling the asbestos-laden cloud of gases and dust that covered Lower Manhattan after the attack.
The results of the study could save human lives. Since the dogs did not have masks to protect them, and since their metabolism works faster than people's, scientists are monitoring the animals to see if they develop any illnesses because of their exposure.
If they do, it may provide an early warning of problems that would only show up in humans years later.
''Dogs live a more compact life than humans. Their hearts beat faster, there's more packed into those years,'' said Kurt Iverson, a spokesman for dog-food manufacturer Iams, one of the study's sponsors. ``What happens to them gives us an indication in what humans can expect down the line.''
So Mizu travels yearly to the Iams Pet Imaging Center in Vienna, Va., where veterinarians use magnetic resonance imaging to view her brain, sinus cavity, nasal passages, glands and other soft tissues where diseases can develop. The scans give vets a three-dimensional view that reveals tumors or cancers that can't be caught by X-rays.
So far, the news is good for the 17 dogs in the study, whose other sponsors include the University of Pennsylvania and the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation.
A recent progress report said the dogs appear to be in good health and cancer-free.
''It really is surprising at her age that she's going strong,'' says Mizu's owner, firefighter Billy Kidd, of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's aviation unit. ``It's a real hazardous job.''
Disaster dogs usually die of cancer by age 7 or 8; the grueling job wears on their bodies and grinds down their joints, says Kidd.
The 9/11 study caps a long career for Mizu, who first learned to search for victims by playing hide-and-seek with puppy toys at a rescue-dog training center.
Kidd and Mizu have served in recovery missions around the world, arriving in the wake of earthquakes and explosions. At ground zero, they put in 12- and 14-hour days.
In 2003, when the Columbia space shuttle exploded over Texas, they scoured 300 miles of woodlands for signs of bodies or evidence. Mizu managed to find human remains amid the finely distributed debris, but she also breathed in toxic gases and volatile fluids.
Leading a loyal companion into danger is the hardest part of the job, says Kidd. But the work helps brings closure to families and honors the deceased.
''After this long career,'' he says, ``I'd almost rather her go during a rescue, trying to help somebody than die of old age or cancer.''