Page 44 - ShowSight - September 2019

NI N E AV E WR FO OR DR G. . . E T
FROM THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR EMERITUS
HOUSTON
J F o R s O e M p h T H N E e E i X l E MC U c T G I V i n E n E i s D I I T I I O R E M E R I T U S Joseph Neil McGinnis III
“Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.” President Barack Obama
The shockwave still reverberates; those alive at the time can not forget one moment of that horrible morning when life as we know it was forever altered. We at ShowSight, at the time produced on my property, immediately quit work and the entire staff came to our house next door just in time to see the second Tower fall. There’s an entire generation of people, now, who weren’t yet born when so many and so much died. We lost loved ones; we lost innocence, and most of all we lost the feeling of security which we’d counted on all our lives. The lives lost comprise a list to which we bow our heads and for whom we pray. But there were other lives involved, too, deserving our utmost thanks.
Almost immediately Search & Rescue teams descended upon the site of the tragedy. Sadly, their job was not to find survivors; there were none. They were there to search for those lost in the mêlée. In doing so, they also endangered their health. They sacrificed much more than time. In the years following the attacks, health experts noted respiratory and mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, in those who engaged in ground zero rescue and cleanup efforts. And not only the humans were so afflicted; many of the tireless S&R canine troupers also developed health problems related to the work they did. The gratitude owed them is, truly, immeasurable.
The top photo shows numerous teams who worked the 9/11 site. It’s a happy picture. It was taken by Rosemary Carroll at the Plaza Hotel, during the first of ShowSight’s annual Have-A-Heart Balls, fundraisers benefitting Take The Lead and DOGNY, AKC’s Search & Rescue initiative. The late Duane Doll, front row right, and I founded the organization and were joined by co-hosts Carolyn Koch, Dan & Carol Greenwald, Keith & Cheryl Robbins, Bill & Tina Truesdale, and Larry & Pat Reding. The HAH Balls were held Westminster weekend. They were a smash success. They raised over a quarter of a million dollars. I may have to reinstate this important, event.
Sadly, all the canines pictured have left us. The other photo above right de- picts “Bretagne,” (pronounced Brittany), the last surviving 9/11 dog. On June 3rd, 2016, her lifelong companion, BFF and handler Denise Corliss and her husband Randy had said Goodbye to this stalwart protector and friend. She was sixteen. We send love to her, and to all canines and humans involved in this selfless service.
As we stockpile ribbons and wonderful dog-show memories, we must also keep in our hearts and minds the people and dogs who devote their time to befitting the world around them.
I send my best to all dogs and people everywhere. Here’s wishing you a wonderful autumn. I’ll see you at the shows.
42 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019