The building shook, jet fuel burned in the stairwell air, and thousands of people were fleeing. In the middle of it all, one yellow Labrador stayed perfectly calm — because her person needed her to be.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson — blind since birth — was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. His guide dog, Roselle, was asleep under his desk when the first plane struck, 18 floors above them.
Hingson grabbed Roselle’s harness. Roselle yawned, stretched — and went to work.
1,463 Steps Down
Roselle led Hingson through the crowded stairwell, floor by floor, past firefighters climbing up toward the fire, through the smell of jet fuel and the sound of panic — which she ignored completely. Fellow evacuees later said her calm steadied everyone around her.
Roughly an hour later, they reached the street. Minutes after they got clear — and had helped a woman who had collapsed nearby — the South Tower fell, covering them in dust. Roselle guided Hingson through the debris cloud to safety.
A Partnership for Life
Roselle continued working as Hingson’s guide until 2007 and died in 2011, with Hingson at her side. He went on to write a bestselling book about her, “Thunder Dog,” and to speak around the world about trust.
“She saved my life,” Hingson has said many times. On the worst morning in modern American history, a dog did her job — flawlessly, one step at a time.
❓ Q&A
Q: How many steps did they descend? A: 1,463 steps from the 78th floor of the North Tower to the ground.
Q: Did Roselle panic at any point? A: By every account, no. Hingson has said her total calm is what kept him — and the people around them — calm too.
Story compiled from widely reported accounts and Michael Hingson’s own telling of Roselle’s story.
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