All of a sudden, Roselle stopped. Guide dogs are trained to do this when they are presented with an unsafe condition. Michael Hingson reached out. He felt a rail and realized that Roselle had led him to the top of a flight of stairs. It was a subway station, and upon entering it, Hingson was able to catch his breath with the cleaner air that was down below.
The North Tower toppled just 10 minutes after Hingson and Roselle emerged from the subway station, leaving massive clouds of dust and debris behind. “Oh my god, Mike. There’s no World Trade Center anymore,” Frank said to Hingson. “All I see are pillars of smoke hundreds of feet tall.”
Following the tragic events of the 9/11 attacks, the uplifting story of how Hingson and Roselle escaped the World Trade Center began to spread. They made the talk show circuit and appeared on radio shows.
However, the events of that day continue to get condensed into smaller and smaller historical footnotes every year. Therefore, some people today may not have heard about Michael Hingson and his beloved guide dog.
In 2002, Roselle received an award from the American Kennel Club. It was in honor of “canine excellence” among service dogs. Two years later, a veterinarian diagnosed Roselle with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, a disease that affects blood platelets. Hingson believes the toxic air conditions that she faced helping him escape on 9/11 caused her condition.
But the brave Roselle lived seven more years in the care of her loving family. Sadly, on June 26, 2011, Roselle passed away peacefully. Michael Hingson was right there by her side — just as she was always there for him.
Although Hingson has owned many guide dogs throughout his life, he will always have a special bond with the late Roselle. It was Hingson’s job to know where to go and how to get there, and it was Roselle’s job to get him there safely. On 9/11, he never let go of her harness. And she never wavered.
