On the morning of September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower. He couldn’t see the flames or the falling debris outside his window — he’d been blind since birth.
But he could feel the building shake. He could hear the chaos. And beside him, his guide dog, Roselle, had just awakened from her nap.
She wasn’t panicked. She wasn’t afraid. And that’s how Michael knew: they had a chance to survive.
With Roselle leading the way, they began descending 1,463 steps — through smoke, jet fuel, injured survivors, and rising panic.
At one point, a colleague broke down: “We’re not going to make it!”
Michael calmly replied, “If Roselle and I can do it, so can you.”
Roselle kept walking. Down and down. Firefighters passed them, heading up — many never came back down.
They reached the lobby just minutes before the tower fell.
Outside, the sky turned black with dust. Michael couldn't see — but now, neither could anyone else. Still, Roselle guided him safely through collapsing streets, stopping at the edge of a stairwell that would lead to clean air underground.
She never left his side.
That day, Michael never let go of her harness.
And she never let him fall.
Roselle passed away peacefully in 2011, her work done. But for one man — and everyone who hears their story — her legacy lives on.
Because bravery doesn’t always bark.
Sometimes, it just walks beside you… one step at a time.
We took the beasts, that lurked in the night, and filled it with howls... and turned them into friends ans companions.
We humans sometimes get it right.
Dogs: humanity’s greatest upgrade, now with extra cuddles too
My dog is my better half even though he's a big stinky asshole sometimes
Fetch quest complete: best dogs, best humans-10/10 teamwork
Apparently, she had a whole group of people following her and her human, and the only time she stopped was to comfort one of the pan8cked people by licking her face.
We don't deserve dogs.
But thank the gods we have them. I went 15 years with no dogs in my life after I moved out on my own. Never again will I go that long with no dog living in my home
omg
Yeah 30 other people were following behind them
We 100% deserve dogs; we made them! Now our job is to be worthy of their companionship.
Well that’s me in tears, good dog X
Great, now I'm crying on my way to work
On public transport…. On public transport right?
Yes, 🥲
Dogs are the best people.
The bestest
What a hero that dog was
Goodest boy saves lives
Girl*
I cried listening to the This is Love podcast episode about this. Such a good dog.
What a special, beautiful pup. We really don't deserve dogs. Boop to Roselle 🥲💖
We don't deserve dogs. Their unconditional love and loyalty is amazing.
What a legendary dog.
And then there are people, who treat their Dogs so so bad. I hope, these people will die lonely and painful
What a good dog
😭😭
That’s a big sweetie!!
Good girl.
If she didn't look back it's because she just wanted to get the hell outta there, not because she was worried about the owner.
Man, who started cutting onions??
What a good girl ❤️
Animals should be free
Guide dogs are trained for so much, but this goes way beyond
Who’s cutting onions???
There is a fantastic This is Love podcast about Roselle. She's a hero.
I bet he didn’t see that coming!
She was awarded the Dickin Medal for her heroism, as was Salty the other guide dog there that day, and Apollo the German Shepherd received one on behalf of all the search and rescue dogs. It's the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, or the Medal of Honour. The highest award for gallantry and service by animals in conflict.
I know people often say "we don't deserve dogs", but stories like Roselle's really make us realise how incredible they are.
Phew who is cutting onions in here?
What a great story amidst all that tragedy and horror.
What a great girl!
Jeez the bots are really pushing the 9-11 Patriot Porn in all its varieties. It's almost like the government has a mandate to remind folks of the losses that day to support their straw house of Muslim hate so when they finish crushing the American Constitution in anticipation of the possibility of a Muslin NYC Mayor, no one will be surprised.
Genuinely I think you're probably right and this is a good reminder for me to think critically about what kind of propaganda works on me. I'm probably less susceptible to rage-baiting, but maybe more susceptible to cute-baiting and passive influence after they've caught my attention. Very good reminder.
I only noticed because of the substantially increased volume of 9-11 content in my scrolling. It's expected at the end of August, beginning of September, but not this early
Bro is cooking
Yup didn't look back planes crashing into buildings she was leaving with or without him 🤣
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