The Dogs of 9/11: Service dog Roselle guided blind owner to safety from 78th floor of North Tower
Roselle was a service dog adopted by 9/11 survivor Michael Hingson, who has been blind from birth.
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News 12 is profiling the dogs who played a vital part in the search, rescue and recovery in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Roselle was a service dog adopted by 9/11 survivor Michael Hingson, who has been blind from birth. Hingson and Roselle were on the 78th floor of the North Tower on Sept. 11. He was getting ready for a seminar when the first plane hit 18 floors above them.
"I began smelling an odor as soon as we got to the stairwell," Hingson recalls. "I was smelling fumes from burning jet fuel."
He says Roselle guided him down 1,463 steps. His co-worker David was slightly ahead of him.
"At about the 50th floor, David said, 'Mike, we're going to die. We are not going to make it out.' I said, 'Stop it, David. If Roselle and I can go down these stairs, so can you,'" Hingson says.
Hingson, Roselle and David finally made it outside by 9:45 a.m. A few minutes later, the South Tower collapsed.
Roselle guided Hingson through the chaotic, dust-filled streets of Lower Manhattan.
"When we were running from [the] Tower 2 collapse. I was relying on Roselle to make sure we didn't crash into people," Hingson says.
Roselle eventually led Hingson to the Fulton Street subway station -- where they took cover.
Roselle remained Hingson's service dog for another six years.
To honor his four-legged hero, Hingson wrote "Thunder Dog," a book about their incredible bond and trust in each other.
Hingson adds that he always thinks of Roselle every day. Roselle died in 2011 but her legacy lives on in the 9/11 Museum and in the heart of Hingson.
Full News 12 YouTube Interview with Michael Hingson
