Chernobyl Disaster and the Dogs Left Behind

A few days ago was the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine - the worst nuclear disaster in history. Unfortunately, many dogs had to be left behind.

Worker with two dogs a few weeks after the Chernobyl disaster.

On April 26, 1986 the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, releasing 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth's atmosphere than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII. Tens of thousands of people were forced to leave Chernobyl and surrounding areas, and many had to leave their pets (mostly dogs) behind, having been told they could return to their homes within a few days. Not only were they not allowed to return to their homes, workers known as "liquidators" shot as many dogs as they could to prevent the spread of radiation contamination.

The dogs that managed to avoid being shot lived short lives due to radiation, lack of food, harsh winters and attacks from wild animals. However, they managed to produce offspring that continue today.

Workers responsible for the upkeep of the no longer operational power plant have gone to great lengths to care for the dogs by giving them food and building them huts to stay warm. They play with the friendly ones and bury those who die. Some of the dogs are even given names. According to one guard, "They give us joy. For me personally, this is a kind of symbol of the continuation of life in this radioactive, post-apocalyptic world."

In 2016, Clean Futures Fund and several of their partners stepped in to offer assistance to the dogs living in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl. They provide food, medical care, vaccines and sterilizations.

In 2018, some puppies with low levels of radiation were allowed to be adopted into homes.

In 2019, HBO released a five-part series about Chernobyl, causing a huge outpouring of help and support for the dogs.

Earthquake, Bubonic Plague and a Fox Terrier

A fox terrier helped in the prevention of the bubonic plague after San Francisco's massive earthquake in the early 1900s.

The earthquake shook San Francisco on April 18, 1906 a little after 5 a.m. with a magnitude close to 8, killing an estimated 3,000 people and leaving more than 250,000 people homeless. About 80% of the city's infrastructure were ruined, with rats massing over destroyed land and open sewers.

According to John J. Conlon, a boy at the time, "There was a bubonic plague scare shortly after the fire and because the fleas on rats were carriers of the germs, the City paid a bounty for dead rats. These bounty payments were my introduction to the functions of the "middle man." An older lad enriched himself by paying the neighborhood youngsters with candy for dead rats. The rats he exchanged for cash at the repaired Emergency Hospital. The fire drove thousands of rats into our district and mother was horrified by them. Consequently, to avoid attracting them, all were instructed to securely cover garbage cans. Every morning, after the women had deposited the breakfast trash in the cans, I would remove the covers. Returning in about an hour, I would inspect the galvanized cans, and if any rats were trapped therein, cans were tipped so that my fox terrier could kill the emerging rodent; then to the "middle man" for candy."

Despite the preventive measures, outbreaks did occur. San Francisco was finally declared plague-free in 1908.

Dog Survives Train Wreck

Dog survives 1911 train wreck without injury in Florida.

Atlantic Coast Line train No. 85 coming from Orlando crashed just north of Kissimmee's Vine Street on November 30, 1911. The hit was described as "a spreading rail" and according to the Kissimmee Valley Gazette, it was "One of the most frightful wrecks of a passenger train ever known in this section..." According to The Orlando Daily Reporter-Star, "Of the seven cars composing the train, six left the track. The Jim Crow (racially segregated) car turned turtle down a 15-foot embankment and several of the occupants were injured." No one died and no one was seriously injured "except Mr. L.C. Royal, the baggage master, who was badly crushed from falling trunks." A dog, described as some sort of setter or spaniel, was riding in the baggage car and made it out unscathed.

Tina: Survived Flight 401 Crash

Tina, a white toy poodle, survived the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401.

The crash site of Eastern Airlines Flight 401

Flight 401 from New York to Miami crashed into the Florida Everglades in 1972 shortly before it was suppose to land. Evelyn de Salazaar, who managed a Manhattan art gallery, was one of the 163 passengers on board. With her was her poodle Tina who was inside a carry on case that was tucked under her seat at the time of the crash. Evelyn died from multiple injuries and Tina was found alive at the scene of the crash unharmed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error and 101 people out of 176 lost their lives.

Dogs and the St. Francis Dam Disaster

The collapse of the St. Francis Dam is the second greatest disaster in California history and considered by some as the worst American civil engineering disaster of the 20th century.

Remaining section of the St. Francis Dam after collapse.

The St. Francis Dam, which was located about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, was built between 1924 and 1926. The design and construction was carried out by the Bureau of Waterworks & Supply under the supervision of the organization's chief engineer William Mulholland.

Just before midnight on March 12, 1928 (the dam wasn't even two years old), the dam burst - sending over 12 billion gallons of water over 10 stories high racing through towns before reaching the ocean 54 miles away.

I was able to find information on three dogs who helped family members during the disaster.

According to Carolyn Chivvis Van Laar, who was 7 years old at the time of the disaster, their dog Don woke the family before the floodwaters descended, saving their lives. Don was given a gold medal from the Pasadena Post in 1930.

Lillian Curtis, who lived near the power plant below the dam site, woke to the sound of the floodwaters (which she thought was a tornado), warned her husband and two daughters, grabbed her young son and ran to a nearby hillside with the family dog at her side. There, she dug a hole, placed her son in it and put the dog on top to keep him warm. Lillian, her son and one other man were the only ones in that community to survive. Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel, executive director of the Community Hiking Club of Santa Clarita, said "I can still see that hole that she put her son in, though it has been 90 years."

According to a family member, her mother-in-law's family was killed in the disaster - her mother and brother died from the floodwaters, and her father died within a month after having contracted pneumonia. Her mother-in-law, Peggy, was 12 years old at the time. "Peggy found herself being washed downstream in a torrent of mud and debris. She grabbed a cedar chest that was afloat, and held on for dear life. She heard a dog barking in the darkness and attempted to steer herself toward the sound. It was her family dog Roscoe, a Labrador Retriever. Together they managed to find high ground."

At least 450 people lost their lives. The failure of the dam was attributed to human error and poor engineering judgment. Mulholland took full responsibility for the accident and stepped down as head of the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Waterworks & Supply.

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Tubby: Tacoma Bridge Disaster's Only Fatality

Tubby became a famous dog in history for being the only one to die that fateful day the Tacoma Bridge collapsed.

On July 1, 1940 the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington opened to traffic. The bridge was nicknamed Galloping Gertie because of the vertical movement of the deck during windy conditions. On November 7, 1940 the bridge collapsed under 40 mph winds.

Leonard Coatsworth, a news editor for the Tacoma News Tribune, was driving on the bridge before it was shut down, and in the car with him was his daughter's cocker spaniel in the backseat. The dog's name was Tubby, and according to Coatsworth's wife, Tubby "had three legs and was paralyzed."

"Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car... I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curb... I didn't think of the dog when I first jumped out of the car," Coatsworth recalled. "I started back to the car to get the dog, but was thrown before I could reach it. The car itself began to slide from side to side on the roadway. I decided the bridge was breaking up and my only hope was to get back to shore."

Coatsworth's colleague, photographer Howard Clifford, was told to go to the bridge to capture pictures. According to Clifford, "When I arrived, the bridge had literally run amok, bouncing and twisting like a roller coaster." After learning about Tubby, Clifford (who liked dogs and had recently seen Tubby at a company picnic) tried to get the dog but failed to reach the car.

Also at the scene was Frederick Farquharson, an engineering professor who was hired to find a solution to reduce the oscillations of the bridge. He was there to monitor the bridge's motion and, being a dog lover, also tried to get Tubby out of the car. He made it to the car, reached in to get Tubby, and the frightened dog bit him on the hand. Farquharson gave up and managed to make it back to safety moments before the bridge collapsed.

Sadly, the car with Tubby inside fell some 200 feet into the water and was quickly swept away from the ruins due to the swift tides. Tubby was the only one to die.

"With real tragedy, disaster and blasted dreams all around me, I [Coatsworth] believe that right at this minute what appalls me most is that within a few hours I must tell my daughter that her dog is dead, when I might have saved him."

On October 14, 1950 the replacement bridge, nicknamed Sturdy Gertie, was opened to traffic.

Dogs on the Hindenburg

Two dogs were aboard the Hindenburg during its infamous flight from Germany to New Jersey in 1937. One dog was named Ulla. The other is unknown.

On May 3, 1937 the Hindenburg left Frankfurt, Germany. On May 6, after an uneventful journey across the Atlantic, the zeppelin burst into flames while attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. According to eyewitness accounts, it took only 30-40 seconds from the first flame to the smoldering wreckage on ground. Unbelievably, only 35 of the 97 people on board and one crewman working on the ground died. According to Dan Grossman, American airship historian, two dogs were kenneled on the Hindenburg. Both died in the fire.

Ulla, a German shepherd, belonged to Joseph Spah. Spah was a German acrobatic performer and was headed home after touring Europe. Ulla, who is said to have performed in Spah's acts, was to be given to his children as a pet upon his return home. Ulla and the other dog were kept in a restricted freight area of the airship which Spah visited often to walk and feed his dog. Spah was to be accompanied by a crew member during the visits, but there were times he went alone and was apparently caught doing so.

Spah survived the crash. He was able to jump from the airship while it was about 20 feet from the ground, breaking his ankle.

Because of Spah's unauthorized visits to Ulla he was considered a possible saboteur, using his dog as a cover to plant a bomb on the airship. The FBI investigated Spah and cleared him of any wrongdoing. Some experts believe the Hindenburg disaster was caused by pilot error (making a couple of sharp turns causing a tension strap to break and rip a hole in a gas bag) and static electricity (igniting the flame).

I can not find a picture of Ulla, nor can I find any more information about the other dog aboard the Hindenburg on that fateful day.

9/11 Dog Heroes

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, thousands of courageous heroes were there to help at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. Hundreds of those heroes were dogs.

The following are just a few of the many dogs who put their lives at risk to help people during a tragic time in US history.

Trakr

Genelle Guzman-McMillan was working on the 64th floor of the World Trade Center's north tower the day the terrorists attacked. Her and about 15 employees from her team of Port Authority workers tried to evacuate the building after American Airlines flight 11 crashed into it. The building began to collapse as Genelle was making her way down the stairs. She made it to the 13th floor before being pinned under cement and steel. She laid in darkness under the rubble for 27 hours before she was rescued. Only one of her co-workers survived. Genelle was the last person to be found alive.

Trakr, a German shepherd from Canada, was the one who traced Genelle's scent, leading rescuers to her. "It's so awesome that the dogs could have this kind of sense, to find people buried under the rubble," Genelle told Animal Planet for their documentary Hero Dogs of 9/11. After two days of hard work, Trakr collapsed from smoke inhalation, chemical exposure, burns and exhaustion. He was treated and released to return home with James Symington, his handler and Canadian police officer. Trakr passed away in 2009.

Riley and Bailey

Eileen Roemer was an FBI agent and Navy Reservist at the time of the 9/11 attacks. After taking a course in body recovery at the FBI, she had her dog Riley trained to be a search and recovery dog. He proved to be great at his job and enjoyed doing the work. Bailey came to Eileen through an animal control officer who had found him chained to a post at a breeder's kennel. He was emaciated, had rotting teeth, and was covered with fleas and ticks. Eileen's plan was to get Bailey back to health and give him to a family she knew. The plan fell through so Eileen kept him. She soon discovered he had the drive and abilities of being a search and recovery dog, so she decided to have him trained.

On that fateful day in September, Eileen was working at the Pentagon. She got off work at 7:30 in the morning and about two hours later American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Eileen, Riley and Baily went to the Pentagon searching for human remains. This was Bailey's first search and recovery. The dogs worked 12 hour shifts searching through the debris for 12 long days. Despite Bailey's abused past by humans, he (and Riley) helped bring closure to many families of 9/11 victims. Riley passed away in 2005 and Bailey in 2010.

Roselle

This heroic dog story involves a guide dog named Roselle belonging to Michael Hingson. Hingson was working on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center's north tower when the crash happened on the other side of the building, 18 floors above. The Labrador retriever calmly guided his blind owner down 1,463 steps and out the building. "The two of us had a very interdependent relationship," Hingson recalls. "She kept me as calm as I kept her. I just kept encouraging her." Just as they got out of the building, the south tower collapsed. Hingson said Roselle remained calm and totally focused while everyone ran in panic and debris fell around them.

Roselle passed away in 2011, nearly 10 years after the attacks. “She was an amazing dog who taught me a lot about patience and unconditional love,” says Hingson. “And when I remember how she behaved on that morning in 2001, I think the most powerful thing she taught me was that working together is the most powerful thing we can do.”

Jake

Jake, a 10 month old puppy, was adopted by Mary Flood after living on the streets with a broken leg and a dislocated hip. With much love, the disabled pup went on to become a world class search and rescue dog, a teacher to train future dogs, and a comforter to people in need. Following the 9/11 attacks, Jake spent 17 days searching for survivors and victims at the World Trade Center. He assisted after many disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. Jake later developed cancer and was put to sleep in 2007 at the age of 12. "He was a great morale booster wherever he went," Flood said.

Bretagne

Bretagne's first deployment as a US government-certified rescue dog was at the World Trade Center, and she and her owner Denise Corliss spent two weeks working 12 hour shifts at Ground Zero. "It was her first mission, but she worked it like a pro," said Corliss. Bretagne retired from search work at age 9. She continued to work in her retirement helping children with special needs. On June 6, 2016, the 16 year old golden retriever was ill and put to sleep. She was the last surviving rescue dog who worked at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks.

When the dogs weren't searching the rubble, they would help human rescuers cope with their emotional trauma - as well as the therapy dogs that were brought in. According to Dr. Cynthia Otto, a veterinarian who cared for the heroic dogs at Ground Zero, "You'd see firefighters sitting there, unanimated, stone-faced, no emotion, and then they'd see a dog and break out into a smile. Those dogs brought the power of hope. They removed the gloom for just an instant."

Sirius

Sirius, born in 1997, was not a search and rescue dog, a cadaver dog or a therapy dog. He was a member of the NY/NJ Port Authority Police Department and worked as an Explosives Detection Dog, and he was the only dog to die in the 9/11 attacks.

Sirius and his partner, Officer David Lim, were working in the basement of the World Trade Center's south tower checking vehicles for explosives when the attack happened. Officer Lim put Sirius in his kennel in the basement and left to help those in the north tower. Officer Lim survived but had to go to the hospital for injuries. He was not able to make it back to the basement for Sirius before the south tower fell. Sirius died and his body was recovered on January 22, 2002. He received full police honors upon recovery.

"My kids played with him," Lim said. "We miss him a lot."

A memorial statue honoring the dogs of 9/11

The 9/11 dogs were able to search large areas faster than humans. They were able to search areas that were too unstable for humans. They searched day and night, without the equipment humans had like face masks. Many were injured, but well taken care of. Injuries that were not too serious were tended to, then they were back on the job. Dogs trained for rescue (not recovery) somehow knew there were no living survivors left, but they went on to help find human remains. Personal items were also found by the dogs to be given to the families of the decease.

This was a devastating time in US history, and dogs were there to help mankind.

Read about Cairo, the Navy Seal dog who participated in the killing of Osama bin Laden, the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

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Hurricane Katrina: Benefits Dogs and Other Pets

Love can bring good from the bad.

Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast early in the morning on August 29, 2005. The storm was a Category 3 when it made landfall, with sustained winds of 100-140 miles per hour. The storm itself caused a great deal of damage, but its aftermath was catastrophic when levee breaches led to massive flooding. Katrina is one of the deadliest storms in US history - more than 1,800 people died. The exact number of animals that died is unknown but it’s estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

"NOT LEAVING"

People were ordered to leave their pets behind when being evacuated after the storm and flood. Many people refused to go, and many died because they did not want to abandon their beloved dog or cat. Some people used any means they could to bring their pets with them. One man put his large cocker spainel in a big black trash bag. The dog made the whole trip, helicopter and bus ride, with his nose sticking out the top of the bag. Other people reluctantly left without their pets, leaving extra food and water for them, with the understanding they could come back for them in a few days.

Scenes of animals left behind outraged many people. Dogs could be seen left on rooftops or staring out windows while their owners were carried away. One dog was shown swimming through the foul water desperately trying to reach his owner in a rescue boat. At a press conference, one reporter asked the director of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "What about the dogs and cats that have been stranded?" His response began "They are not our concern..." Fortunately, the ASPCA and other wonderful organizations did care about the stranded animals. Thousands of pets were saved. Some dogs and cats made it back to their owners and many were adopted.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was a turning point in our history with pets. Due to an outcry from the public, the legislature passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act with near unanimous support in 2006. The act requires pets to be included in rescues during natural disasters. Lawmakers finally realized how much people care for their pets, and how much they are willing to sacrifice for them.

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Hiroshima: Photograph of a Boy and His Dog

A photograph of two innocent beings who lost their lives during one of history's worst man-made disasters.

On August 6, 1945 a WWII American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Ninety percent of the city was wiped out - 80,000 people were killed immediately and many family pets perished.

The boy in the photo is Hideaki Suzuki holding his beloved dog Kuma. Hideaki, 12 years old at the time, was at school when the A-bomb hit his home town. He survived the initial blast but was exposed to high-level radiation. Hideaki died seven days later as a result of exposure to radiation.

The Dog of Pompeii: Immortalized in Plaster

This dog became famous in history when recreated hundreds of years after its unfortunate death in Pompeii.

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman city of Pompeii. Of the more than 20,000 inhabitants, several hundred died that day under a thick carpet of volcanic ash. The city was largely written out of history until the mid 1700s when archaeologists slowly began to excavate the site. About a century later, it was discovered that the decomposed bodies entombed in volcanic rock left cavities behind capturing the contours of the corpses. Plaster was poured into these spaces and what came out were near perfect statues of the bodies revealing the last frightening moments of their lives.

In 1874, the cavity of the dog from Pompeii was discovered in the house of Marcus Vesonius Primus, in the corridor at the entrance of the house. The unfortunate dog, wearing a bronze-studded collar, was left chained up at its assigned place to guard the house and was unable to escape when the eruption occurred.

Dog Passengers on the Titanic

Twelve dogs became famous in history as passengers on the Titanic. Little was known about the dogs until Widener University recognized them in their centennial Titanic exhibit in 2012. Three of the dogs survived.

Dogs on the Titanic that did not survive

There were twelve confirmed dogs on board the Titanic during her maiden voyage which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on the early morning of April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg.

All the dogs belonged to first class passengers:

• John Jacob Astor IV and his two Airedale terriers Kitty and Airedale
• Robert W. Daniel and his champion French bulldog Gamin de Pycombe
• Helen Bishop and her toy dog Frou-Frou
• William Carter and his Airedale terrier and King Charles spaniel
• Harry Anderson and his chow chow Chow-Chow
• William Dulles and his fox terrier Dog
• Ann Elizabeth Isham and her Great Dane
• Margaret Hays and her Pomeranian Lady
• Elizabeth Rothschild and her Pomeranian
• Henry and Myra Harper and their Pekingese Sun Yat Sen

Eight of the dogs were kept in the kennel on the F Deck of the ship and were well taken care of by the crew. The dogs were taken for daily walks around the promenade deck, and passengers would schedule their times on deck to watch the dogs stroll by. They became quite an event that an informal dog show was to be held the morning the ship sank. As the ship went down, someone released the dogs to spare them from drowning in locked cages. The dogs were seen racing up and down the slanted deck.

Four small dogs stayed in their owner's cabins which was not permitted but allowed. Three of these dogs, the Pekingese and the two Pomeranians, were the only ones to survive. According to J. Joseph Edgette, Titanic exhibit curator at Pennsylvania's Widener University, "The dogs that survived were so small that it's doubtful anyone even realized they were being carried to the lifeboats."

When boarding the lifeboat, Margaret Hays had her Pomeranian wrapped in a blanket. Edgette said the dog was assumed to be a baby.

Nobody remembers seeing Elizabeth Rothschild with her Pomeranian on the lifeboat, but the dog was noticed when the Carpathia came to rescue the survivors. The ship's crew did not want to take the dog on board. Mrs. Rothschild refused to get off the lifeboat without her dog, so they finally hoisted her and the dog up onto the ship.

Henry Harper was later asked about saving their dog rather than other people. He reportedly said, "There seemed to be lots of room, and nobody made any objection."

The fourth small dog, Frou-Frou, was regrettably left behind. Helen Bishop felt obliged to leave without her dog when it was made clear that there were not enough lifeboats for all the passengers. Later, she tearfully told how Frou-Frou grabbed the hem of her dress when she left the cabin.

Ann Elizabeth Isham, who owned the Great Dane, refused to leave without her dog. Two to three days later, Isham's body was found at sea clinging to her dog in the icy waters.

In a fortunate turn of events, passenger Charles Moore of Washington, D.C. made a last-minute change to his plans to transport 100 English foxhounds on the Titanic, which he intended to use to start an English-style fox hunt in the Washington area. Instead, he made arrangements to take another vessel. Two other dogs were reported to avoid disaster when they and their owners disembarked at Cherbourg, the ship's first stop after leaving Southampton.

There is a story about a surviving dog named Rigel who helped save lives. The Newfoundland dog belonged to First Officer William Murdoch, who went down with his ship. Rigel was swimming in the freezing water ahead of the fourth lifeboat that was dangerously close to the Carpathia's starboard bow. The passengers were too weak to shout a warning of their location, but Rigel was able to alert the ship's captain with his barking. The ship immediately stopped its engines, and the passengers and dog were safely brought aboard. The story appeared in the New York Herald on April 21, 1912.

Click on image to enlarge

Although a wonderful story, it is not a true one. The story was told by Jonas Briggs, a sailor aboard the Carpathia, who was said to have kept Rigel. He was paid for the story, and subsequently disappeared. There is no record of Murdoch owning a dog, Briggs does not exist in Carpathia's records as a crew member, and there was no mention of the dog from others, including survivors from lifeboat number 4.

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