The terrorist attacks on 9/11 were a great evil that produced many heroes that did a lot of good, but not every hero walked into danger on two legs. Many ran in on four.

They say we don’t deserve dogs and they truly proved this on 9/11. Without the help of our K-9 companions, many people would never have been found and rescued, and some even sacrificed their lives in their attempts to save others. ‘

A Twitter user going by “Clays & Birds” created a Twitter thread remembering some of the dogs that took part in the rescue efforts during that day, and while this day is remembered as one of atrocity, remembering the bravery of our furry heroes is a bright light in that dark memory.

What’s important to remember is that around 300 dogs played a part in rescue efforts on 9/11, and only a third of them were actually trained for situations like this. That’s around 200 dogs that didn’t have the proper training but did what they could anyway.

As Clays & Birds points out, these dogs and their efforts rewrote the book on dog search and rescue.

Roughly 300 Search and Rescue dogs were deployed to ground zero. Only 100 were equipped to handle what they encountered. Most SAR dogs weren’t trained to handle large scale operations or urban environments. 9/11 rewrote the training guide for SAR dogs

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Here are some of the dogs, and the parts they played. You’ll notice that dogs played multiple roles, be it search and rescue or even being there for therapy reasons.

Riley is the subject of the most famous K9 photo from 9/11. Riley was trained to find living people and was not trained to be a cadaver dog. Despite this he continued to work tirelessly. Riley passed away on 2/26/10 pic.twitter.com/zLQC60PP57

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Trakr was driven down from Nova Scotia by his handler. He found the last known survivor from ground zero, Genelle Guzman. When his handler, Symington, was seen on TV by his department in Canada, he was suspended for leaving without permission. Trakr died in April of 09 pic.twitter.com/Dsf2H9H953

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Worf found the remains of two firefighters on his first day. He was immediately retired because he emotionally shutdown and quit eating. "He kind of withdrew from everything. There was so much death there, it was emotional for the dogs." – Mike Owens his handler pic.twitter.com/xqQvQyrDK3

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Hansen arrived at ground zero months after the attack to help find remains. He worked 150 days straight. He recovered Officer Perry and Sgt. Curtin’s remains. pic.twitter.com/ZCusnaV8n4

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Cowboy: pic.twitter.com/n3c9R8xA8M

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Here is jake with his handler Mary Flood. He also served at Katrina pic.twitter.com/LuotJTxunl

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Kinsey from Texas Task Force One pic.twitter.com/3mXXV4mehZ

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Guese and handler John Patrick pic.twitter.com/2m47a9OLpL

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Thunder from Lakewood Washington. pic.twitter.com/3ehfB6gMaC

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Coby and Guinness worked for 11 days on 12 hour shifts at ground zero. They found the remains of multiple people pic.twitter.com/QJ3sYQ9akl

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Tikva was a therapy dog at ground zero pic.twitter.com/ntELHAM34y

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Another photo of Trakr pic.twitter.com/NYywEeu99q

— Clays & Birds (@ClaysandBirds) September 11, 2019

Man has created a multitude of things during our existence, but it could be well argued that humanity’s greatest creation has always been the domesticated dog. They play with us when we’re feeling playful, they cuddle with us when we’re feeling lonely, they defend us when danger comes for us, and they run by our side headlong into danger whenever the world needs heroes.

Thank God for dogs. Man’s best friend indeed.