On September
11th, millions of people stared at their televisions in shock and
disbelief as the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed
into a pile of rubble before their eyes. While most of us spent
the rest of the day in front of the television, watching as events
unfolded, a select group of people gathered their dogs and their
equipment and headed for lower Manhattan. When disaster strikes,
the primary concern is to locate and rescue any survivors. Along
with police, fire fighters, and other rescue workers at the scene,
a vital component of any search and rescue operation comes with
four legs and a sensitive nose. With their keen sense of smell and
sharp hearing, search and rescue dogs can and do detect and locate
victims buried beneath the rubble who might never be found without
them.
From near and far they came. They didn't have to be asked,
they didn't wait to be called; it was obvious that New York
needed all the help it could get. The first teams arrived quickly
and went to work. Teams arrived all day and into the night. Some
drove overnight to get there. By the next morning three hundred
dogs were working at Ground Zero.
Among the first to arrive was Scott Shields and his dog Bear, a
12 year old golden retriever. Bear helped locate survivors and dozens
of bodies at the WTC site. He became something of a celebrity in
New York and was even named “the most celebrated dog in the
world” by the “Guinness Book of Records”. On October
12th, Scott and Bear led off the Columbus Day Parade.
Working on the site was dangerous for both people and dogs. Broken
glass was everywhere, along with sharp, jagged pieces of steel and
broken concrete. The whole pile was unstable and could collapse
under you or onto you at any time, and often did. Asbestos and toxic
fumes from the fire that still raged below filled the air, and a
layer of fine powdery dust over a foot deep was everywhere. The
dust was a particular problem for the dogs, getting in the nose,
mouth and throat and causing serious breathing problems. Grit and
dust got in the eyes and had to be washed out frequently.
Animal welfare groups, led by two, The North Shore Animal League
and the Suffolk County SCPA, set up mobile veterinary clinics at
the site to treat the search and rescue dogs. Injuries and medical
problems could be treated on the spot, and there were many to treat.
At the end of each twelve hour shift, every dog was given a bath,
had its eyes flushed and any wounds or injuries treated, was checked
over by a vet, and even got a massage. Vets and techs volunteered
during their free time to help staff the clinics, and businesses
donated supplies and items that were needed. Whatever was needed
to help the workers at the site, human or canine, was forthcoming.
Enter VPI
Veterinary Pet Insurance is one of only a few companies offering
health insurance for pets. Most of us have seen their literature
in the vet clinic. From what we gather talking to various vets,
they are a good company and none was unhappy with them.
In January, VPI offered, with some publicity, to pay the veterinary
bills of any S&R dog that had worked at the World Trade Center
or at the Pentagon. It was a nice gesture, and if the intent was
to gain some exposure and good public relations, so what? While
medical care at the site was free of charge, each handler is responsible
for his or her dog's vet bills, so the offer was gratefully
accepted by many of owners. Of the 76 claims filed so far, most
were paid, but five were rejected. Among the dogs whose bills were
not paid was Bear. According to Scott, Bear has never been sick
a day in his life before September 11th, but after working for months
at the WTC site, he has developed a number of problems, including
skin cancer, prostatitis, nerve damage and arthritis, and is a regular
at the vet clinic. Bear's vet believes that some of his problems
are a direct result of his work at Ground Zero.
Scott submitted about $3000 in vet bills to VPI, but they refused
to pay them, claiming that Bear is an old dog and these are just
old age disabilities. Feeling he had been deceived, Scott mentioned
the matter to more than one person, and word spread. Soon a reporter
from the New York Post heard about it and wrote an article in the
paper. Anyone familiar with the New York tabloids knows where this
is heading. The post ran the story under the headline ‘Hero
Dog Dissed', and the other media outlets picked it up, then
it went out on the AP and other wire services, and soon it was all
over the internet. VPI's switchboard, if they have one, must
have lit up like a Christmas tree, but they probably have one of
those electronic answering monstrosities that are actually designed
for situations like this.
While VPI continues to press their argument that they are not responsible
for these bills, the North Shore Animal League steps up with a check
for $3000 to pay Bears vet bills, and in addition, they offer Bear
free vet care for life. The media are all over this story and out
it goes. “Non-profit group offers to pay medical bills of
hero dog who was stiffed by his health care provider”. Donations
pour in to the NSAL from around the world. And still VPI doesn't
get it. They continue to defend their decision to deny Bear's
claim. It gets better.
By now Scott Shields has been swamped with offers of monetary assistance
from people who have heard the story, and he is considering setting
up a tax exempt “Bear Foundation” to collect money to
provide for the care of rescue dogs. And VPI insists that Bear doesn't
meet their requirements for coverage because he is old.
Finally it gets through to someone at VPI that they have screwed
up royally and have a public relations nightmare on their hands,
so they announce that it was all a big mistake and that they will
pay Bear's vet bills after all. It's too late; no one
is listening, the damage is done.
It's sad and it's stupid. Sad because it is likely that
the decision to deny the claim was made by a mid-level clerk who
thought he or she was doing the right thing by saving the company
money, and stupid because no one higher up over-rode the decision
before it got out of hand.
So, is there a lesson to all this? There are two that quickly come
to mind. First, don't say you are going to do something if
you are not going to do it. The amount of good publicity you get
from saying you will do it is going to be buried under the mountain
of bad publicity you will get when you break your word. If you say
you will do something, do it, even if it hurts. Second, learn to
recognize an opportunity when you see it. Imagine how different
things would have been if, instead of denying the claim, someone
from VPI had gone to New York and arranged a press conference. Then,
with the cameras running, made a little speech about what a privilege
and an honor it was to help these wonderful dogs, and handed Scott
a check for $3000. |
