Honoring the Dogs Who Served: ROLDA Commemorative Brooch for America’s Canine Heroes

This year, for the first time, ROLDA humbly joins the 9/11 Memorial Ride to honor the courageous dogs who served alongside first responders in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, as well as those who were lost. Our commemorative brooch is a modest tribute to the many working dogs who searched, served, comforted, and stood beside their human partners during one of our nation’s darkest moments. It is our hope that this small token will help ensure that their service and sacrifice are never forgotten.

These dogs did not choose their mission. They simply showed up, day after day, in the wreckage and recovery that followed, because that is what devotion looks like. Long after the search ended, many of them stayed close to the responders they worked beside, a quiet reminder that comfort is its own form of service.

We are extremely grateful to Karra, her father Rick, and the organizers who welcomed us to be a small part of their 25th-anniversary commemorative event, one that inspires generations not to forget the heroes and the sacrifice of those we lost, and to honor the values of the United States that made that fight worth fighting.

A Personal Note from our Treasurer:

“My father was a first responder, so this project means something particular to me. I grew up understanding, in a very immediate way, what it means for search and rescue teams, canine and human alike, to walk into the worst day imaginable so that others might be found, comforted, and brought home. This brooch is a small token to hold in your hand, but it carries something much larger: a promise that their service is remembered.

For me, it also sits at the center of what ROLDA believes. The bond between people and animals is not incidental to hard work and hard days. It is often what carries us through them. Every dog ROLDA shelters, and every dog we honor, is part of that same story.

We are grateful for the opportunity to bring this tribute to life, and to honor the extraordinary dogs whose service and sacrifice deserve to be remembered.”