Rescue Dogs Not Dying In Unusual Numbers

Tim Sparke resurrected this claim on the James Whale show the other day, claiming that all the search and rescue dogs had died or were dying. As is typical with the CTs, these claims come up periodically, get debunked, and then are forgotten for a few months until they can be recycled again.

As it happens, the gubmint shills at Science Daily took a look at the effects of working at Ground Zero on the search and rescue dogs.

Despite rumors of numerous deaths of 9/11 search-and-rescue dogs, only one was confirmed to have died during the search period. In addition, the study was able to demonstrate that the injuries and ill effects of the search itself were minor. After the first year of surveillance, of the 97 deployed dogs enrolled in the study, only one died. During the past three years, 15 deployed dogs have died, of which eight had cancer. At the current time, neither the death rate nor the cancer rate is different from that of the control group.

"Given the mature age of these dogs and their expected lifespan, the few deaths that did occur were not statistically significant," Otto said. "We can't say that these findings preclude illness later in life, but it is clear that we don't see any trends in the current physical or behavioral wellbeing of these dogs that would be cause for alarm."

Initially, blood tests showed that the deployed dogs exhibited higher bilirubin concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity, which indicates that their livers were actively filtering toxins from their bloodstream. The serum globulins were also higher in the first year in deployed dogs, suggesting activation of the immune system. As the study progressed, however, these numbers came down to close to those of the dogs in the control group.

The article is from September 2004.

Hat Tip on the study to JREF forum member Bonavada.