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{{Short description|Police dog who found the World trade center attack survivor}}
{{about|the police dog|the key finder|TrackR}}
{{Infobox animal
{{Infobox animal
| name = Trackr
| name = Trakr
| image = Trakr dog.jpg
| image = Trakr dog.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birthname =
| othername =
| othername =
| species = [[Dog]]
| species =
| breed = [[German Shepherd dog]]
| breed = [[German Shepherd dog]]
| gender = Male
| gender = Male
| birthdate =
| birth_date = c. 1994
| birthplace =
| birth_place = [[Prague]]
| deathdate = April 2009
| death_date = April 2009
| deathplace =
| death_place =
| restingplace =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| relativeage =
| relativeage =
| nationality = [[United States]]
| nationality = [[Czech Republic]]
| occupation = [[Police dog]]
| occupation = [[Police dog]] and [[Search and rescue dog]]
| employer = [[Halifax Regional Police]]
| employer = [[Halifax Regional Police]]
| role =
| role =
| yearsactive =
| years_active = 1995 – 2001
| known = [[September 11 attacks]]
| known = [[September 11 attacks]]
| tricks =
| tricks =
| awards =
| awards =
| title =
| title =
| term =
| term =
| predecessor =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| successor =
| owner =
| owner = James Symington
| parents =
| parents =
| children =
| children =
| weight =
| weight =
| height =
| height =
| appearance =
| appearance =
| namedafter =
| namedafter =
| website =
| website =
}}
}}
'''Trakr''' (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's most heroic animals by ''Time'' magazine.<ref>{{cite news |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, 2011 |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>
'''Trakr''' (1993-2009) was a courageous [[German Shepherd]] whose 9/11 rescue and legendary police work made him one of the world’s most revered dogs. Along with his partner, former Canadian police officer James Symington, Trakr discovered the last survivor of the [[September 11 attacks]] at the [[World Trade Center]] in New York City in 2001.


==Background==
==Background==
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 from 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>
Trakr first attained hero status in the 1990s as both a police and search and rescue dog in Canada. He was credited with finding hundreds of people and recovering more than $1 million in stolen goods.


After Trakr's retirement, Symington took a leave from the force.
Throughout his career, Trakr was also involved with various charities. Trakr was the first police K9 to have his head shaved for Cops for Cancer, a national initiative for kids with cancer. He was also a regular guest of various children’s organizations, schools and hospitals. Remarkably intuitive, Trakr always reached out to children with disabilities who were unable to come to him. Without exception, he would seek them out, licking their hands and evoking smiles and giggles.


==9/11 Search and Rescue==
==9/11 search and rescue==


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 early 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 got a "live hit" (signs of life) under the rubble.<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=18 June 2009}}</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 magazine|magazine=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/>
Trakr and his partner, then Officer James Symington, were one of the first [[K9 search and rescue]] teams to arrive at the site of the [[World Trade Center]]. Immediately upon hearing about the tragedy, Officer Symington and Trakr drove 15 hours from Nova Scotia, Canada to New York. In addition to locating victims, Trakr sniffed out the last survivor buried beneath the rubble. For his efforts, Trakr was presented with a humanitarian service award by Dr. Jane Goodall, United Nations "Messenger of Peace," and was featured in books and magazines dedicated to 9/11 heroes including, ''Dog World'' and ''In the Line of Duty.'' Ground Zero was Trakr’s last call of duty, but he continued to be a devoted companion and inspiration to many.

On September 14, Trakr collapsed from chemical and [[smoke inhalation]], burns, and exhaustion, and was treated with [[intravenous fluids]]. After Trakr was released the next day, Symington, Hall, and Trakr returned home to Canada.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ohmidog.com/2009/05/04/dog-that-won-cloning-contest-passes-away/|publisher=oh mi dog|date=2009-05-04|title=Dog that won cloning contest passes away}}</ref>

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. In 2005, Dr. Jane Goodall honored Symington and Trakr with an "Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award" for their efforts.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/halifax-ex-cop-gets-9-11-award-for-actions-that-led-to-his-suspension-1.530869|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>

==In the news==
Trakr and his progeny have been profiled by media worldwide, including [[CNN]], ''[[CBS Early Show]]'', ''[[USA Today]]'', ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[Dog World]]'' and many more. They were also featured as one of ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine's top stories of 2009.


==Later years==
==Later years==
After leaving the force, Symington and Trakr moved to the [[Los Angeles, California]] area, where Symington took up acting.<ref name=canwest>{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=01ed47dc-95bd-4782-acc4-926a912c5b88|publisher=Canwest News service|title=Cloning may give Halifax canine hero new lease on life|date=2008-07-02|access-date=2009-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628223536/http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=01ed47dc-95bd-4782-acc4-926a912c5b88|archive-date=2011-06-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> Symington appeared, often under the name Peter James, in a number of television [[soap operas]] including ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'', ''[[General Hospital]]'', ''[[The L Word]]'', and ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'', as well as working as a [[stunt double]], [[stunt coordinator|fight coordinator]], and small part film actor.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=IMDb|title=Peter James|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1053322/}}</ref>
In 2008, Trakr won a contest naming him the "World's Most Cloneworthy Dog." This honor enabled Trakr's DNA to be used to clone a puppy. In June 2009, five genetic doubles of Trakr were introduced to the world: Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy and Dejavu – called Team Trakr in his honor. All have been charged with carrying on Trakr's extraordinary search and rescue legacy as part of the [[Team Trakr Foundation]].


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 | access-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/>
==James Symington==
James is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the [[Team Trakr Foundation]], an international humanitarian and [[501(c) 3 organization]] committed to training and deploying elite K9 search and rescue across the United States and around the world.


Trakr died in April 2009.<ref name=lat/>
Prior to launching the Team Trakr Foundation, James served 13 years as a police officer in Canada. In 1995, James became one of the first K9 handlers in the history of his police department and was partnered with the now world-renowned K9, Trakr. They were credited with the department’s first ever K9 arrest. James would go on to lead the department’s K9 Unit and be one of only two K9 officers in Canada to participate in the development of a National Use of Force Policy. Together, James and Trakr would recover more than $1 million in stolen goods and be credited with hundreds of arrests. Following the [[September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks]], James and Trakr worked at the site of the [[World Trade Center]], where Trakr sniffed out the last survivor.


==Cloning==
During his tenure as a police officer, James also served as a search and rescue manager, SWAT team leader, officer safety instructor, firearms expert, Employee Assistance Program referral agent, suicide intervention officer, and underwater search and recovery diver. He also held positions with the Mounted Division, Harbor Patrol and Street Crime and was active in numerous charities. Over the course of his career, he was decorated for bravery and recognized for his dedication to duty.
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. 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/>


BioArts sent samples of Trakr's DNA to South Korean veterinarian [[Hwang Woo-Suk]] and his laboratory, Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, which had performed the first-ever dog cloning in 2005.<ref name=jad>{{cite news |url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2906339|work=JoongAng Daily|title=Hero dog of 9/11 sprouts five clones|date=2009-06-19}}</ref> The cloning, performed in [[Yongin|Yongin, Korea]], involved inserting the DNA into five "surrogate" egg cells, each of which was implanted into a different female dog.<ref name=guardian/><ref name=jad/> In June 2009 five clone puppies, Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, and Deja Vu, were all delivered to Symington.<ref name=abcnews>{{cite news |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7871826&page=1 |title=Cloned Puppies: A New Generation of 'Trakrs':Puppies Cloned From 9/11 Search and Rescue Dog After Handler Wins Essay Contest |author=Sarah Netter |date=2008-06-18}}</ref> At the time, BioArts was selling cloning services privately for $144,000 per puppy.<ref name=guardian/>
Today, James is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of [[Prodigy Talent Group]], a boutique talent management firm in Los Angeles, California. He spends his free time rescuing, fostering and training abandoned dogs and is also a member of the Board of Directors of [[The Forgotten Dog Foundation]], a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing dogs.


Some animal welfare groups, including the [[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]], criticized or questioned the cloning effort over concerns that cloned animals may suffer health problems.<ref name=abcnews/>
James currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Angeline and their six German Shepherds, Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, Dejavu and Legacy.

{{As of|2011|1}} the clones were being trained by Symington as search and rescue dogs.<ref name=malibu-times->{{cite news |title=Cloned dogs training for search and rescue |url=http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_87739cc1-8d48-50bf-919f-27824c54a92e.html |access-date=2015-06-21 |work=[[The Malibu Times]] |date=2011-01-12}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of individual dogs]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:Working dogs]]
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[[Category:Famous dogs]]
[[Category:2009 animal deaths]]
[[Category:2009 animal deaths]]
[[Category:1994 animal births]]
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[[Category:German shepherds]]
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[[Category:Individual dogs]]
[[Category:September 11 attacks]]
[[Category:September 11 attacks]]

Latest revision as of 03:36, 14 September 2024

This article is about the police dog. For the key finder, see TrackR.
Trakr
SpeciesDog
BreedGerman Shepherd dog
SexMale
Bornc. 1994
Prague
DiedApril 2009
Nation fromCzech Republic
OccupationPolice dog and Search and rescue dog
EmployerHalifax Regional Police
Years active1995 – 2001
Known forSeptember 11 attacks
OwnerJames Symington

Trakr (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 in New York City in 2001. For his accomplishments, Trakr was named one of history's most heroic animals by Time magazine.[1] In 2008 Symington won an essay contest sponsored by BioArts International to find the world's most "cloneworthy dog,"[2] as a result of which Trakr was cloned, producing five puppies.[3]

Background

[edit]

Symington was one of the founders of the canine unit for the Halifax Regional Police, where he served for thirteen years.[4] His police dog, Trakr, was from the Czech Republic and joined the Halifax Regional Police in 1995 at age of fourteen months.[5] 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.[5] 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.[5][6]

After Trakr's retirement, Symington took a leave from the force.

9/11 search and rescue

[edit]

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 early hours of September 12.[5][7] During the morning of September 12 Trakr got a "live hit" (signs of life) under the rubble.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] She was trapped for approximately 26 hours before her rescue.[8]

On September 14, Trakr collapsed from chemical and smoke inhalation, burns, and exhaustion, and was treated with intravenous fluids. After Trakr was released the next day, Symington, Hall, and Trakr returned home to Canada.[11]

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. In 2005, Dr. Jane Goodall honored Symington and Trakr with an "Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award" for their efforts.[12][13]

In the news

[edit]

Trakr and his progeny have been profiled by media worldwide, including CNN, CBS Early Show, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Dog World and many more. They were also featured as one of People magazine's top stories of 2009.

Later years

[edit]

After leaving the force, Symington and Trakr moved to the Los Angeles, California area, where Symington took up acting.[14] Symington appeared, often under the name Peter James, in a number of television soap operas including Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, The L Word, and The Young and the Restless, as well as working as a stunt double, fight coordinator, and small part film actor.[15]

In his later years, Trakr suffered from degenerative myelopathy, a neurological disease, and lost use of his hind legs.[16] Some experts attributed the condition to inhaling smoke at the World Trade Center site.[7] 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.[17] Pawspice outfitted Trakr with a cart so that he could power himself with his front legs.[16]

Trakr died in April 2009.[7]

Cloning

[edit]

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. 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.[8]

BioArts sent samples of Trakr's DNA to South Korean veterinarian Hwang Woo-Suk and his laboratory, Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, which had performed the first-ever dog cloning in 2005.[18] The cloning, performed in Yongin, Korea, involved inserting the DNA into five "surrogate" egg cells, each of which was implanted into a different female dog.[8][18] In June 2009 five clone puppies, Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, and Deja Vu, were all delivered to Symington.[19] At the time, BioArts was selling cloning services privately for $144,000 per puppy.[8]

Some animal welfare groups, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, criticized or questioned the cloning effort over concerns that cloned animals may suffer health problems.[19]

As of January 2011 the clones were being trained by Symington as search and rescue dogs.[20]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Romero, Frances (March 21, 2011). "Top 10 Heroic Animals: 6. Trakr the Dog". Time. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  2. ^ Owen Moritz (2008-06-30). "WTC hero police dog to be cloned". New York Daily News.
  3. ^ Lindsay Barnett (2009-06-17). "German shepherd puppies, cloned from hero 9/11 search and rescue dog, come to L.A." Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ "Suspended Halifax cop considers suing force". CTVNews. 2001-10-02.[dead link]
  5. ^ a b c d "K-9 Rescue Team Finds World Trade Center Survivor, Then Gets Suspended for It". Dogs in the News. 2001-10-02. Archived from the original on 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  6. ^ "Sometimes the bond transcends death". Veterinary Practice News. March 2010.
  7. ^ a b c "9/11 search dog cloned for former Canadian cop". Forbes. Associated Press. 2009-06-17.[dead link]
  8. ^ a b c d e Pilkington, Ed (18 June 2009). "Dog hailed as hero cloned by California company". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Moritz, Owen. "WTC Hero Police Dog to be Cloned." New York Daily News. 2008
  10. ^ John Cloud (2002-09-01). "A Miracle's Cost". Time. Archived from the original on February 12, 2003.
  11. ^ "Dog that won cloning contest passes away". oh mi dog. 2009-05-04.
  12. ^ "Halifax ex-cop gets 9/11 award for actions that led to his suspension". CBC. 2005-09-20. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20.
  13. ^ Adkisson, Knowles. "Cloned Dogs Training For Search and Rescue." The Malibu Times. 2011.
  14. ^ "Cloning may give Halifax canine hero new lease on life". Canwest News service. 2008-07-02. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  15. ^ "Peter James". IMDb.
  16. ^ a b "Sick pets, life and death choices". CNN. 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  17. ^ Olson, Laurie Kay. "Remembering a Hero From 9/11: Trakr The Dog." Halcyon Solutions Inc. 2013.
  18. ^ a b "Hero dog of 9/11 sprouts five clones". JoongAng Daily. 2009-06-19.
  19. ^ a b Sarah Netter (2008-06-18). "Cloned Puppies: A New Generation of 'Trakrs':Puppies Cloned From 9/11 Search and Rescue Dog After Handler Wins Essay Contest". ABC News.
  20. ^ "Cloned dogs training for search and rescue". The Malibu Times. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
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