13/09/2025
When the first plane hit the World Trade Center on the morning of 9/11, Roselle, a guide dog, was calmly sleeping under her owner's desk on the 78th floor of Tower One.
Her owner, Michael Hingson, is blind. He didn't see what was happening, but he heard the explosion and felt the building shake.
People around them started to panic, but Roselle didn’t.
She stood up, focused, and waited for Michael’s command.
Together, they began the long, tense walk down 78 flights of stairs.
The stairwell was packed. It was hot, crowded, and filled with the smell of jet fuel. But Roselle never flinched.
She led Michael carefully, step by step, as people moved aside to let them through. Some even followed her lead.
It took nearly an hour. And just after they got outside, Tower Two collapsed.
Debris rained down, and everything turned to darkness. But Roselle stayed calm and continued guiding Michael until they reached safety.
She worked through smoke, sirens, chaos, and confusion and never once breaking her focus.
Roselle’s story became one of the most remarkable examples of loyalty and courage from that day.
She wasn’t trained for disaster response.
She was just doing her job, and she did it perfectly.
In 2011, she was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal, the highest honor for animal bravery in the UK.
Sources:
Roselle and Michael’s story – American Kennel Club
Salty and Roselle – Wikipedia
