Apollo: The NYPD K-9 First to Reach Ground Zero on 9/11
Roughly 300 dogs worked the wreckage of the World Trade Center in the days after September 11, 2001. Apollo was one of the very first on scene, and he nearly didn’t make it out.
First team on scene
Apollo, a German Shepherd, and his handler, NYPD Officer Peter Davis, were the first K-9 search-and-rescue team to respond on September 11, arriving at the South Tower site about 15 minutes after its collapse. The pair had already worked together responding to a hurricane in the Dominican Republic, but nothing had prepared them for the scale of Ground Zero.
Searching through fire and water
Davis later described wading through waist-deep water to reach the rubble, when Apollo suddenly disappeared into a hole and came back out on fire from a fireball that erupted beneath the debris. Davis brushed the burning embers off him, and Apollo went straight back to searching. The two worked nearly 18-hour days in the aftermath, part of a search-and-rescue effort that ultimately involved close to 300 dogs combing the wreckage for survivors and remains.
The Dickin Medal
On March 5, 2002, Apollo received the PDSA Dickin Medal — the British charity’s highest award for animal gallantry, sometimes called “the animal Victoria Cross” — awarded on behalf of all the search-and-rescue dogs who worked the World Trade Center site. He remains one of the most cited K-9 responders from that day.
Apollo’s story sits alongside Bretagne and the rest of history’s hero dogs in our hero dogs guide.
Frequently asked questions
What breed was Apollo, the 9/11 search dog?
Apollo was a German Shepherd with the NYPD’s K-9 unit, handled by Officer Peter Davis.
How fast did Apollo arrive at Ground Zero?
Apollo and his handler were the first K-9 search-and-rescue team on scene, arriving at the South Tower site roughly 15 minutes after it collapsed on September 11, 2001.
Did Apollo receive an award?
Yes. Apollo received the PDSA Dickin Medal on March 5, 2002, awarded on behalf of all the search-and-rescue dogs who worked the World Trade Center site.
