The Guide Dog Who Led 30 People Down 1,463 Stairs on 9/11

Most guide dogs spend their working lives navigating crosswalks and crowded sidewalks. On September 11, 2001, a four-year-old yellow Labrador named Roselle faced something no animal had ever been trained for - and she did not flinch once.

The 78th Floor

Michael Hingson, the regional sales manager and head of operations for Quantum/ATL, arrived at his office on the 78th floor of the North Tower that Tuesday morning as usual, with Roselle curled under his desk. At 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 tore into the tower 15 floors above them. The building lurched and shook. Smoke began filling the upper floors. All around Hingson, people panicked. Roselle woke up, lifted her head - and stayed completely calm.

1,463 Stairs

Hingson and Roselle began the descent of stairwell B. What followed was just over an hour of methodical, concentrated navigation through a stairwell filling with smoke, falling debris, and hundreds of terrified office workers streaming down from the floors above. Roselle moved steadily, guiding Hingson step by step. Along the way, they gathered more people - 30 total made the journey with them. At one point a woman on the stairs had nearly stopped moving from fear. Roselle paused and licked her hands. The woman kept going.

When the Towers Fell

They reached the lobby and stepped outside. Tower Two collapsed as they hit the street, filling everything with ash and darkness. The crowd ran. Roselle pulled Hingson into a subway entrance for shelter. When they emerged, Tower One was coming down behind them. Roselle moved north without hesitation, guiding Hingson the 40 blocks uptown to a friend's apartment. Everyone who had come down with them survived.

What She Was Awarded

In 2002, Roselle and fellow 9/11 guide dog Salty were jointly awarded the Dickin Medal by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals - the highest honor in the world for animal bravery in military and civilian service. The American Kennel Club awarded her the Award for Canine Excellence the same year. In 2011, she was posthumously named American Hero Dog of the Year by American Humane, after a public vote of over 400,000 people. Hingson wrote their story in the New York Times bestseller Thunder Dog, published the year Roselle died. She was 13.