09/11/2026
š¾šŗšø A HERO WITH FOUR PAWS
September 11, 2001.
Michael Hingson was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Michael had been blind since birth.
At his feet was his guide dog, Roselle, a yellow Labrador who had been trained to guide him safely through the world.
At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 struck the tower.
The building shook violently. Debris fell. Smoke began filling the building. People were frightened and confused.
But Roselle remained calm.
Michael knew they had to evacuate.
And Roselle knew her job.
She guided Michael toward the stairwell and began leading him down.
78 floors.
Step by step.
Floor by floor.
They werenāt alone.
Michaelās coworker, David Frank, joined them, and other people began following the group. Michael and David helped keep people calm and encouraged everyone to keep moving.
Roselle continued guiding Michael through the crowded stairwell, doing exactly what she had been trained to do.
Along the way, firefighters were climbing UP the same stairs while Roselle and the others were making their way DOWN.
Imagine that moment.
People desperately trying to escape.
First responders heading toward the danger.
And in the middle of it all, a guide dog calmly doing her job.
After nearly an hour of descending, Michael and Roselle finally reached the ground.
But they werenāt out of danger yet.
The South Tower collapsed, sending a massive cloud of dust and debris through Lower Manhattan.
Roselle continued guiding Michael away from the destruction. Eventually, she helped him reach the safety of a subway station.
Michael would later say that he believed Roselle saved his life.
But there is something important about this story that sometimes gets lost in the retelling.
Roselle didnāt lead 30 people out of the tower all by herself.
She guided her handler.
Michael trusted Roselle.
David helped the people around them.
And together, they worked as a team to make it out.
And perhaps that is what makes Roselleās story so powerful.
Because a service dog isnāt simply a dog who knows commands.
A service dog is a partner.
A teammate.
A lifeline.
There is trust between the dog and the person who depends on themāa trust built through countless hours of training, patience, communication, and love.
Roselle wasnāt thinking about becoming a hero that morning.
She was simply doing her job.
And sometimes, doing your job when someone desperately needs you is exactly what makes you a hero.
Roselle went on to live many more years and became a symbol of courage, loyalty, and the incredible bond between working dogs and the people they serve.
She passed away in 2011, but her story continues to inspire.
šŗšø Today, Service Paws remembers September 11th.
We remember the lives lost.
We remember the families who were forever changed.
We remember the first responders who ran toward danger when everyone else was trying to escape.
We remember the survivors.
And we remember the working dogs who stood beside their people through some of the darkest moments imaginable.
September is National Service Dog Month, and stories like Roselleās remind us why these incredible dogs deserve to be understood, respected, and celebrated.
A service dog may be described as medical equipment under the law.
But behind that description is a living, breathing partner who works beside a human being to help them navigate a world that isnāt always accessible.
They donāt just change lives.
They help their people live them.
That is why we celebrate.
That is why we educate.
That is why we advocate.
And that is why, at Service Paws, we believe in the power of the partnership between a person and their dog.
š¾ā¤ļø Because sometimes the one who helps you find your way through the darkness has four paws.
šŗšø We remember. We honor. We will never forget.
