Trakr: Difference between revisions

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'''Trakr''' ([[circa|c.]] 1994 -– April 2009) was a [[German Shepherd]] [[police dog]] who along with his handler, Canadian police officer '''James Symington''', discovered the last survivor of the [[September 11 attacks]] at the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in New York City in 2001. For his accomplishments, Trakr was named one of history’shistory's most heroic animals by ''Time'' magazine.<ref>1. ''Time''{{cite Magazinenews Online|last=Romero |first=Frances|title=Top 10 Heroic Animals: 6. Trakr the Dog |work=Time |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324102419/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059858_2059863_2060232,00.html |date=March 21, accessed2011 |access-date=April 3, 2011}}</ref> In 2008 Symington won an essay contest sponsored by BioArts International to find the world's most "cloneworthy dog,"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/06/30/2008-06-30_wtc_hero_police_dog_to_be_cloned.html|work=New York Daily News|date=2008-06-30|author=Owen Moritz | title=WTC hero police dog to be cloned}}</ref> as a result of which Trakr was cloned, producing five puppies.<ref>{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times|title=German shepherd puppies, cloned from hero 9/11 search and rescue dog, come to L.A.|date=2009-06-17|author=Lindsay Barnett|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/06/german-shepherd-clones-come-to-la.html}}</ref>

Symington was one of the founders of the canine unit for the [[Halifax Regional Police]], where he served for thirteen years.<ref name=ctv>{{cite news|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/20011002/ctvnews813466/20011002/?hub=CTVNewsAt11&subhub=PrintStory|publisher=CTVNews|date=2001-10-02|title=Suspended Halifax cop considers suing force}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> His police dog, Trakr, was initially trained infrom the [[Czech Republic]] and joined the Halifax Regional Police in 1995 at age of fourteen months.<ref name=dogsinthenews>{{cite news|publisher=Dogs in the News|date=2001-10-02|title=K-9 Rescue Team Finds World Trade Center Survivor, Then Gets Suspended for It|url=http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0110/articles/011002a.htm|access-date=2009-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201185053/http://dogsinthenews.com/issues/0110/articles/011002a.htm|archive-date=2009-02-01|url-status=dead}}</ref> Trakr worked for the department for six years, finding over $1 million in contraband, as well as finding missing people and helping in arresting hundreds of criminals.<ref name=dogsinthenews/> He was prematurely retired from the force in May 2001 as retribution against Symington for preventing senior officials in his department from enacting a policy to euthanize Trakr and all retiring K9s.<ref name=dogsinthenews/><ref name=veterinarypracticenews>{{cite news|publisher=Veterinary Practice News|date=March 2010|title=Sometimes the bond transcends death|url=http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/bond-beyond/sometimes-the-bond-transcends-death.aspx}}</ref>

==9/11 Searchsearch and Rescuerescue==

Symington and his dog saw the [[search and rescue]] operations in New York City on television on September 11, 2001, and drove with their friend, Corporal Joe Hall, for 15 hours from [[Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia]] to [[Manhattan]] to help out, arriving in the morningearly hours of September 12.<ref name=dogsinthenews/><ref name=lat>{{cite news|work=Forbes|agency=Associated Press|date=2009-06-17|title=9/11 search dog cloned for former Canadian cop|url=https://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/06/17/ap6555636.html}}{{dead link|date=January 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> During the morning of September 12 Trakr foundgot a "live hit" (signs of life) under the rubble at approximately 6am or 7am.<ref name=guardian>{{cite news |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |title=Dog hailed as hero cloned by California company |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/18/trakr-dog-september-11-clone |work=The Guardian |date=2009-06-18|author=Ed Pilkington|title=DogJune hailed as hero cloned by California company | location=London2009}}</ref> Firefighters dug in the spot, and found Genelle Guzman, the last of the 20 survivors who had been inside the buildings when they collapsed, under 30 feet of unstable debris.<ref>Moritz, Owen. "WTC Hero Police Dog to be Cloned." New York Daily News. 2008</ref> Guzman, an assistant with the [[Port Authority of New York]], had climbed from the 64th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center and was on the 13th floor of the South Tower when it fell.<ref>{{cite newsmagazine|workmagazine=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/asurvivor.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030212065446/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/asurvivor.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2003|title=A Miracle's Cost|author=John Cloud|date=2002-09-01}}</ref> She was trapped for approximately 26 hours before her rescue.<ref name=guardian/>

Officials from the Halifax police saw Symington on television, and suspended him with pay from the force for participating in rescue efforts in NY without permission and while on leave. He was later given the opportunity to return to work, but declined under the existing work conditions. His contract was terminated and he sued the police force over the incident. The lawsuit was still pending as of 2008.<ref name=canwest/> In 2005, Dr. Jane Goodall honored Symington and Trakr with an "Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award" for their efforts,.<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2005/09/20/9_11_award_20050920halifax-ex-cop-gets-9-11-award-for-actions-that-led-to-his-suspension-1.html530869|title=Halifax ex-cop gets 9/11 award for actions that led to his suspension|date=2005-09-20|publisher=CBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620094254/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/09/20/9_11_award_20050920.html|archive-date=2009-06-20}}</ref><ref name="auto">Adkisson, Knowles. "Cloned Dogs Training For Search and Rescue." The Malibu Times. 2011.</ref> and widely considered "heroes".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2488173/911-hero-dog-has-been-cloned.html|work=The Sun|title=9/11 hero dog has been cloned | location=London|date=2009-06-18}}</ref>

==In Thethe Newsnews==

In his later years, Trakr suffered from [[degenerative myelopathy]], a neurological disease, and lost use of his hind legs.<ref name=pawspice>{{cite news|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/11/29/aging.pets/index.html|title= Sick pets, life and death choices | date=2007-11-29 | accessdateaccess-date=2010-05-25}}</ref> Some experts attributed the condition to inhaling smoke at the [[World Trade Center site]].<ref name=lat/> Symington took Trakr to Pawspice, a California end-of-life organization that serves as the equivalent of a [[hospice]] for pets and an animal oncology consultation service.<ref>Olson, Laurie Kay. "Remembering a Hero From 9/11: Trakr The Dog." Halcyon Solutions Inc. 2013.</ref> Pawspice outfitted Trakr with a cart so that he could power himself with his front legs.<ref name=pawspice/>

Trakr died in April 2009, at age 14.<ref name=lat/>

Shortly before Trakr's death, Symington entered "Best Friends Again" (also called the Golden Clone Giveaway), an essay contest sponsored by BioArts International, one of the world's largest biotech companies offering pet cloning, to find the world's most "clone-worthy" dog.<ref>{{cite news |work=Daily Mail |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1193831/Heroic-9-11-rescue-dog-cloned-times-winning-competition.html |title=Puppy power: Heroic 9/11 rescue dog is cloned five times after winning competition|author=Claire Bates|date=2009-06-18 |location=London}}</ref> Symington's essay was chosen out of a field of 200 others, impressing the company CEO with the story of Trakr's police dog abilities and the World Trade Center rescue.<ref name=guardian/>