Guide Dogs honored for World Trade Center rescues

Two guide dogs who led their owners to safety minutes before the collapse of the World Trade Center are being honored by the British Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Yellow Labrador Retrievers Roselle and Salty led their owners, Michael Hingson and Omar Rivera, down the crowded stairs of the burning building to safety.

The dogs were honored by the association at an international conference in Texas and presented with specially made trophies. The association's chief executive, Geraldine Peacock, said: "Guide dogs are trained to look after their owners' needs and guide them through difficult situations, but this was clearly unprecedented and both dogs handled themselves with tremendous courage and devotion.

"We are extremely proud of them and are honored to commend them for their outstanding acts of courage."

"The exemplary behavior of these dogs in circumstances that could never be anticipated during their training is a credit to the professional staff and organizations that prepare guide dogs with such thorough and high standards of training."

Hingson and Roselle also led another woman, who had been blinded by debris in her eyes, to safety after the collapse of the second tower - meaning the yellow Labrador rescued two people.

"We got down the same way as everyone else did," said Hingson, 51, who walked down the stairways in the flaming towers with colleague David Frank. Rivera and dog Salty made their way safely from the 71st floor down the same smoke-filled and debris-strewn staircases. The 43-year-old systems designer told the New York Times: "He was very nervous. But he didn't run away."