Trakr: The Police Dog Who Found the Last 9/11 Survivor
Roughly 300 search dogs worked the World Trade Center site after September 11. Trakr is the one credited with the last live rescue.
A 15-hour overnight drive to Ground Zero
Symington and Trakr, along with Corporal Joe Hall, watched the attacks unfold on television in Nova Scotia and immediately drove 15 hours through the night to reach Manhattan, arriving in the early hours of September 12, 2001.
The last live hit
That morning, Trakr detected signs of life under roughly 30 feet of unstable debris. Firefighters dug at the spot and found Genelle Guzman-McMillan — the last of the 20 people pulled alive from the wreckage. Trakr worked the site for two days before collapsing from smoke inhalation, exhaustion, and burns.
Legacy and cloning
Trakr was named among history’s most heroic animals by Time magazine. He later developed a degenerative neurological disorder that experts believe may have been connected to his work at Ground Zero, and died in April 2009. In 2008, Symington had won a “world’s most cloneworthy dog” essay contest run by BioArts International; Trakr’s DNA produced five cloned puppies — Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, and Deja Vu — delivered in June 2009.
Trakr’s search-and-rescue story belongs alongside Apollo and Bretagne in our hero dogs guide.
Frequently asked questions
What did Trakr do on 9/11?
Trakr, a Halifax police dog, and his handler drove overnight from Nova Scotia to Manhattan and located the last living survivor, Genelle Guzman-McMillan, under 30 feet of rubble on September 12, 2001.
Is Trakr still alive?
No — Trakr died in April 2009, having developed a degenerative neurological disorder that experts believe may have been linked to his work at Ground Zero.
Why was Trakr cloned?
In 2008 his handler won a “world’s most cloneworthy dog” essay contest run by BioArts International. Trakr’s DNA produced five cloned puppies, delivered in June 2009.
