Inside This Issue:
- The Dogs of 9/11
- Hundreds Potentially Exposed to Rabies From... Goats?
- Researchers Reverse Alzheimer's Symptoms in Mice
- A Protest for HeeHaw, Be Kind to Animals, and More!
The Dogs of 9/11
Search and rescue dog sculpture at Eagle Rock Reservation 9/11 Memorial.
It's hard to believe that a quarter of a century ago, our nation awoke to a beautiful September morning that would become one of the saddest days in American history – a new generation's Pearl Harbor.
On September 11, 2001, we lost nearly 3,000 people in the terrorist attacks at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. Thousands more would carry the physical and emotional wounds of that day for the rest of their lives. First responders and ordinary citizens demonstrated extraordinary courage in circumstances almost impossible to understand. And working beside many of those people were dogs.
In the hours and days following the attacks, hundreds of specially trained dogs and their handlers answered the call. They climbed onto the mountains of debris at Ground Zero, sniffing out any trace of a person. At first, they searched for survivors. As the days passed, their mission became more solemn: finding those who had died. For families waiting desperately for word of someone they loved, these dogs meant the difference between uncertainty and closure. They searched places no human could go and continued working through dangerous conditions. They could not understand what had happened. They simply performed their duties alongside their handlers.
Not every canine hero arrived at Ground Zero as part of a search team. On that morning, Michael Hingson was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower. Blind since birth, Hingson had his guide dog, Roselle, a yellow Labrador Retriever beside him. When the plane struck the tower above them, Roselle sprang into action, relying on her years of specialized training to lead him to safety. She calmly led him to the stairwell and began descending 78 floors, gathering more people along the way. Eventually, they made their way out of the tower, but Roselle pressed on, taking her human as far away as possible. Her harness and collar are now part of the collection at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The story of these dogs is a powerful reminder of what a carefully bred, raised, and trained service animal can become – not just a seeing-eye dog, but a true savior. The same was true of the search and recovery dogs who came afterward. Their breeds, backgrounds, and training varied, but each one worked in partnership with someone who spent countless hours preparing alongside them. Numerous dog organizations joined in, too. The American Kennel Club took a leading role, commissioning and auctioning off iconic "DogNY" sculptures, donating medical equipment, raising $3.5 million for search and rescue organizations, and covering veterinary bills for dogs that were injured at Ground Zero.
A 9/11 memorial for working animals might seem a little curious, given that dogs have never asked us for medals or awards, and never will. But even if they don’t measure their sacrifices as we do, their trust, loyalty, and abilities are certainly worthy of recognition from us.
Source: The role of rescue animals on 9/11 and the push to recognize them in the Capitol
Hundreds Potentially Exposed to Rabies from... Goats?
Non-rabid and positively adorable. The goats in this incident were likely infected by a rabid skunk.
Rabies aren't the first thing you think of when a goat drools on you, but a recent rabies exposure tied to goats at a petting zoo led to the evaluation of 284 people and a recommendation that 213 of them receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Yes, you read that right – 213! Thankfully, getting your rabies shots is a lot less painful than it used to be, though many people still believe it requires getting dozens of shots in the stomach. Even so, getting emergency shots probably isn't how you want to spend your day, and this serves as a serious reminder that biosecurity is a lot more than an animal-health issue – it is essential to protecting the people who interact with animals, too.
The consequences of disease prevention breaking down in animal-contact settings was made abundantly clear last year at the Arizona State Fair. Thirteen children were identified as part of an E. coli outbreak, and 8 of them were hospitalized. In this case, most reported exposure to petting zoos or other animal exhibits. Incidents like this show how quickly a zoonotic disease can become a human health emergency. Rabies, of course, raises the stakes a lot higher: there’s a tiny chance you might die from an E. Coli infection compared to a near certain chance of horrific death if you get rabies (assuming you didn’t receive PEP).
For those of us who work with animals every day, that makes prevention and preparation indispensable. Appropriate vaccination, veterinary oversight, quarantine procedures, careful observation of animal health, sanitation, controlled public interaction, and clear protocols for potential exposures might sound like a lot – and it is! – but these are not excessive precautions. They are fundamental biosecurity practices. Just as importantly, anyone who may have been exposed to a potentially rabid animal should promptly contact medical and public-health professionals. Don't wait: once symptoms appear, it is too late.
Animal interaction provides tremendous educational and personal value, and responsible animal professionals make those experiences possible. Protecting that relationship requires recognizing that even familiar, well-cared-for animals can be involved in zoonotic disease events. Good biosecurity protects the animals in our care, the people who care for them, and the public we invite to experience them.
Source: Nearly 300 people exposed to goats with rabies at mobile petting zoo
Researchers Reverse Alzheimer's Symptoms in Mice
A typical lab mouse stock photo
Here’s an update on a story we’ve shared before: researchers working out of the University of Alberta have seen improved symptoms and even reversed Alzheimer's in mice by treating them with nanoparticles. This is pretty amazing stuff, and a little surprising, too, because it is not understood why the nanoparticles are so effective against Alzheimer’s. However, the end results have been replicated elsewhere, so it’s probably not a fluke. Dr. Satyabrata Kar, one of the head researchers who has spent decades looking for Alzheimer’s treatments and cures said, quite understandably, that he has never been so excited.
There are currently more than 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, and the number is expected to jump to 13 million by 2050 as our population grows and ages. While the emotional toll of Alzheimer’s is immeasurable, you can put a price tag on other aspects of this disease, and it is huge: the labor and resources that go into caring for people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and related dementias is about $542 billion each year, and this is before unpaid family caretaking and lost earnings are factored in. Now, imagine that heartbreak and economic impact, then double it in only a few decades. Suddenly, finding ways to prevent and reverse Alzheimer's takes on a near ticking time bomb urgency. Boom.
Much like the researchers themselves, we can’t articulate why nanoparticles and brain plaques don’t seem to get along, but even so, we can’t stress enough that we are excited by the findings, and strongly encourage further research. Sadly, this is something that may prove difficult in the U.S., given current prevailing attitudes toward animal research – if a cure is found, it may be something we are forced to import.
Statistically speaking, finding a way to reverse Alzheimer’s will inevitably save the life of someone you care about, or even you one day. And if that doesn't sway you to the importance of this research, then maybe it will save the life of your pet: the cognitive dysfunction many older dogs suffer from is very similar to Alzheimer’s, after all…
A Protest for HeeHaw, Be Kind to Animals, and More!
Photographer being eyed by miniature donkey (not HeeHaw).
The case of a Georgia police officer who shot and killed HeeHaw, a one-year-old miniature donkey and family pet, has led to a protest this Friday morning (note: if you received the newsletter from our mailing list, the protest may be happening as you read this). The officer who shot HeeHaw was involved in a search for a missing girl with fellow police officers and search and rescue crews, including dogs. He said that while in a pasture, HeeHaw charged down from a hill toward his group, and he was unable to scare the donkey away with a taser, so he shot it with his Glock 17. This killed the adorable miniature donkey, and as you might imagine, has stirred up a lot of outrage. While the Georgia Department of Agriculture is investigating this incident, the protesters want “accountability” and something they feel will be more telling than the officer’s statement: release of body camera and drone footage from the search, which will detail the incident and HeeHaw’s final moments.
The reputation of billionaires – a tiny and generally unpopular class of people – is taking another hit in a French courtroom this week as the trial of Olivier Bouygues unfolds. Bouygues, a construction and meda mogul, is accused of having his employees kill protected animals (and several local pet cats) on his grand 2,500-acre estate, in order to preserve the game birds and fish he keeps around for high-end, exclusive hunting and fishing parties. Bouygues himself is not accused of killing any protected animals, and the crime itself will only amount to a paltry (for him) $870k fine, but that’s kind of beside the point: as far as criminal accusations go, this one is almost too on the nose to believe.
The Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals released a statement asking parents and caretakers to teach their kids about kindness toward animals. In the context of their message, "kindness" translates to “understand and respect the creatures around us,” acknowledging that kids oftentimes want to run up and touch or grab the animals they come across, perhaps without recognizing when animals want to be left alone or at least receive a lighter touch. Obviously, letting kids run wild with animals can lead to harm for all parties involved, so it’s a solid message. And it got us thinking: we all received messages about "kindness toward animals" when we were kids, and those messages, while more similar than different, were no doubt colored by the various people who delivered them to you – what messages did you receive as a child about how you should treat animals? We're interested, so let us know! With your permission, we might even publish some of your responses.
Speaking of kids and animals, a new agritourism playground just opened at New York’s Heritage Hill. "Send them home tired" is the playground’s goal, which features a giant slide, goats, pigs, a Collie, and several other charismatic animals. It costs admission and parental supervision is required, and it provides kids with an up-close animal exposure that many of them don’t get to experience – at least not regularly. For those of us who grew up with chickens, sheep, goats, and larger agricultural animals, this might seem kind of manufactured and silly. And maybe it is. But at the same time, even if the animals you grew up with could be a pain, and even if you wished you didn’t have the extra chores – you’re probably glad for the experience today. Right? It's hard to find somebody who isn't. So how will the kids who experience the playground today regard it as a memory in 20 years? Only time will tell, but it’ll probably be a good one (provided the goats aren’t rabid).
Also in the News...
★ California passes bill to extend goat herder overtime wage law (Animal Agriculture & Labor; Wait, You're All Getting Paid to Herd Goats)
★ Fossilized eggs of the largest known dinosaurs have been unearthed in an unexpected place (Old School Paleontology; Titanosaur News)
★ Massive alligator attacks young swimmer in nature preserve despite posted warning (This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things)
★ One of the oldest known 3D animal fossils found in Norwegian sheep field (Old School Paleontology: Extreme Edition; Early Complex Animals )
★ Owasso adds 24/7 pet microchip stations to help lost animals get home faster (Pet Retention & Return)
★ 1 arrested amid reported animal cruelty case in Laurel County (Neglect & Cruelty; Search Warrants & Seizures)
★ These SC animals and plants are the most endangered in the state (Rare & Endangered Lists: South Carolina Edition; Northern Long-Eared Bat)
Click here to see what is happening legislatively
