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The Reporter — Many pet owners try to do something special to remember their animal companions when they die; some even go so far as to purchase headstones and bury their pets in cemeteries.
But how did one dog earn a "missing man" formation flyover and an official firefighter burial?
Capt. Scott Shields, who directs marine safety for the urban parks department in New York City, was in Fond du Lac on Wednesday to tell the story of his golden retriever, Bear, who earned such honors though his life-saving work at the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Bear was the first dog inside, he made the only live finds and he found the most victims," Shields said. "He climbed through piles of glass and rubble so that others could live."
Shields has taken Bear's story as the world's most decorated dog on the road as he attempts to raise awareness about the need for assistance for the country's search and rescue teams.
"I have a cause and it's bigger than me," he said. "Every fire department in this country should be financed the way it needs to be. It's three years after September 11th, and they still don't have enough equipment or training."
Shields told those attending a presentation Wednesday night at Victoria's Pet Nutrition Center, 25 N. Main St., that he hopes to make changes in the way search and rescue teams are viewed and to gain additional support for them.
"Rescue dogs are allowed on every major airline in the country," Shields said. "But Amtrak, the government's trains, they're not allowed on there."
Shields told of the many people Bear saved, how he worked 18-hour days following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and how that mission may have cost him his life.
"He got cut going though all of that rubble, and within months, there was cancer formations all along the perimeter of the cut, eventually taking over his entire body," Shields said.
"I don't want my dogs to die in vain. I want change to come from them."
Shields has since written a book, "Bear, Heart of a Hero," which details the events of Sept. 11 and the things that Bear accomplished in his lifetime.
"I'm using this book as a weapon," he said. "I want to create change with it."
Profits from the book go to The Bear Search and Rescue Foundation, a non-profit organization that addresses the needs of search and rescue teams across the country.
For more information about The Bear Search and Rescue Foundation, visit www.bearsearchandrescue.org.
the reporterlmargelofsky@fdlreporter.com
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