9/11 was a normal day, we started off the day very early because I needed to prepare for a meeting so I got to the train center early, like 7. We grabbed my elevator, go to the 44th floor and then switch and go all the way up to the 71st floor. Salty was very obedient so he didn’t even need to be tied down. I was just preparing my papers I need to print and it was about 8:30.
I was just preparing my papers, it was just about 8:44, Salty was asleep. I remember I had just clicked command print and thirty seconds later I heard this crash.
SALTY WENT RUNNING AND THE BUILDING SHOOK FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE COMPUTER FELL DOWN AND THERE WAS THIS HUGE WIND OF SMOKE.
I got very scared because there were only a couple of people who knew I was there. Salty was running back and forth, absolutely alert. We were instructed you should stay in your place, wait for announcements, so I start to hesitate. Should I stay, should I go? He just sat next to me, completely anxious. I realize he is telling me something; I’ve got to get out of here. So I put the harness on him and we run to the nearest stairs. Everyone was screaming, the stairwell was full of smoke and it was very hot. People were basically getting into a panic.
After a few minutes, a lot of people kind of relaxed. The movement going down became very slow because there were people from other floors getting into the stairs, so you needed to wait and let people get in. The stairs were very narrow. With a dog, you need to have space for two people or three. The policemen and the firemen were moving up and I’m going down with a guide dog that doesn’t have enough space. It was probably too much for him. So I said ‘Salty maybe it is better for you to go.’ So I decided to let Salty be completely free. Salty continued his way down, but at one point he decided no, I cannot go without him. So he came back.
HE WAS SAYING ‘I AM WITH YOU NO MATTER WHAT, I AM WITH YOU. YOU AND I TOGETHER AND THAT’S NO QUESTION. DON’T EVEN ASK, DON’T EVEN SEND ME BACK. I’M GOING TO BE WITH YOU.’
On the stairs I can hear the structure breaking apart. The whole building was basically collapsing. We were able to reach the ground level and within five minutes we crossed the street and for a moment we stopped. I didn’t see anything, but I heard everything. People are screaming, crying, helicopters, ambulances, fire trucks.It was amazing, there was a hundred million sounds concentrated in one place. Suddenly, the building came down.We started running, I had Salty next to me and was completely tight with his harness and he was operating the area trying to open my path. We keep running, running, and there were thousands of people.
Even today when I hear the ambulances or the fire trucks, I get all anxious. And Salty is the same way, even he has developed some type of fear after 9/11. Salty worked for me for 10 years and in March of 2008, we had no choice but to put him to sleep. I started to work with this guy but Salty will remain in my heart forever. I don’t know how they prepare such wonderful dogs.
Hopefully there will be a Salty for somebody else one day, but I hope it’s not for the purpose of taking people out of such terrible situations.