Cancer Kills Rescue Dog For 9/11 & Katrina

Jake Was 12; Cancer Not Rare In Older Dogs; Autopsy Will Be Done

(AP)  A black Labrador that burrowed through smoking debris after Sept. 11 and flooded rubble after Hurricane Katrina in search of survivors has died of cancer.

Owner Mary Flood had 12-year-old Jake put to sleep Wednesday after a last stroll through the fields and a dip in the creek near their home in Oakley, Utah. Flood said Jake had been in pain, shaking with a 105-degree fever as he lay on the lawn.

No one can say whether the dog would have gotten sick if he hadn't been exposed to toxins at the World Trade Center or one of his other missions, but cancer in dogs Jake's age is common.

Some owners of rescue dogs who worked at ground zero claim their animals have died because of their work there. But scientists who have spent years studying the health of Sept. 11 search-and-rescue dogs have found no sign of major illness in the animals.

Many human ground zero workers have complained of health problems they attribute to their time at the site: the largest study conducted of about 20,000 ground zero workers reported last year that 70 percent of patients suffer respiratory disease years after the cleanup.

The city earlier this year added to its Sept. 11 death toll a woman who died in 2002 of lung disease, five months after she was caught in the dust cloud of the collapsing twin towers.

The results of an autopsy on Jake's body will be part of a medical study on the Sept. 11 dogs that was started by the University of Pennsylvania more than 5 years ago.

Flood adopted Jake as a 10-month-old puppy. He had been abandoned on a street with a broken leg and a dislocated hip.

"But against all odds he became a world-class rescue dog," said Flood, a member of Utah Task Force 1, a federal search-and-rescue team that looked for human remains at ground zero.

On the evening of the team's arrival in New York, Jake walked into a fancy Manhattan restaurant wearing his search-and-rescue vest and was treated to a free steak dinner under a table.

Flood eventually trained Jake to become one of fewer than 200 U.S. government-certified rescue dogs — an animal on 24-hour call to tackle disasters such as building collapses, earthquakes, hurricanes and avalanches.

After Katrina, Flood and Jake drove from Utah to Mississippi, where they searched for survivors in flooded homes.

In recent years, Jake helped train younger dogs across the country. He showed them how to track scents, even in the snow, and how to look up if the scent was in a tree.

He also did therapy work with children at a Utah camp for burn victims and at senior homes and hospitals.

"He was a great morale booster wherever he went," Flood said. "He was always ready to work, eager to play — and a master at helping himself to any unattended food items."

She said Jake's ashes would be scattered "in places that were important to him," such as his Utah training grounds and the rivers and hills near his home where he swam and roamed.

[bb19631]

way to go,jake. you are a hero in my book... rest in peace...

[joanne291]

I am so sorry that you had to put your beautiful dog down. I hope that you can find comfort knowing that he had a good home and a great life thanks to you. I am sure that he helped so many people in so many ways. This article touched me because I had to put my dog down last month and your dog looked similar to mine. I loved my dog Duke so much and I miss him. I hope they are together playing in Heaven and watching over us everyday. God bless you and your family.

[michellem99-2009]

When I saw the phote before grabbing my magnifier to read the story I said isnt he/she pretty. So yes he is lovely. Mary dear thank you for sharing his story. Jake you rest yer paws yer Master done called ya to the gates where you will be pain free.Just maybe you will meet the Good Lord who is there pet yer head. Good Dog you.

[ceethomas]

Jake, you earned every bit of that unattended food. Now you go play, eat, and rest in peace. And heartfelt condolences to Mary Flood, who took him in and gave him a home.

hey vet999999, shrub claims to be at 'war' because of 09/11 (and Jake was there in the aftermath.) Shrub ignored Katrina (and Jake was there in the aftermath.) Good news about a so-called 'war'?? HUH?? We've been waiting for years. Do something useful, quit whining, and demand this idiot administration bring our soldiers and Marines home NOW. Or is that junk too?

[jester188]

"If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."


"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go the heaven, and very, very few person."

[michellem99-2009]

There is a dog hater ...I don't like wars..I loved Jake's story. HE DID HIS DUTY..NOT FIGHTING AN ILLGAL WAR THAT WE THE PEOPLE WERE/ARE FORCED TO PAY IF WE LIKE IT OR NOT..Dogs teach what people can't or won't and they are trully mam/woman best friend..His angel took him home..So Dear Jake, run free, your free of pain, but 'member to rest them paws ,you good dog but 'member yer Mary who loves you,so dear rest in peace.

[greeneyes222]

Great story. People need to remember how much service these dogs perform.

[dukeudevil]

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

[vet999999]

yes, this is really headline material....great job CBS. How about some positive news about the 160,000+ solders that are fighting a war instead of this junk.

[sandy19731]

"He was a great morale booster wherever he went," Flood said. "He was always ready to work, eager to play %u2014 and a master at helping himself to any unattended food items."

Made me chuckle.
Nice story