Trakr
Encyclopedia
Trakr was a German Shepherd police dog
who along with his handler, Canadian police officer James Symington, discovered the last survivor of the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center
in New York City in 2001. For his accomplishments, Trakr was named one of history’s most heroic animals by Time magazine. In 2008 Symington won an essay contest sponsored by BioArts International to find the world's most "cloneworthy dog", as a result of which Trakr was cloned, producing five puppies.
, on which served for 13 years. His police dog, Trakr, was initially trained in the Czech Republic
and joined the Halifax Regional Police
in 1995 at age 14 months. Trakr worked for the department for six years, finding over $1 million in contraband, as well as finding missing people and helping in arresting hundreds of criminals. He was prematurely retired from the force in May, 2001 as retribution against Symington for preventing senior officials in his department from enacting a policy to euthanize Trakr and all retiring K9s.
After Trakr's retirement, Symington took a medical leave from the force, for an ongoing elbow injury as well as occupational stress
caused by a hostile work environment that was triggered when Symington prevented the implementation of the policy to euthanize all K9s on retirement.
operations in New York City on television on September 11, 2001, and drove with their friend, Corporal Joe Hall, for 15 hours from Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia
to Manhattan
to help out, arriving the morning of September 12. Trakr found a "live hit" (signs of life) under the rubble at approximately 6am or 7am. Firefighters dug in the spot, and found Genelle Guzman, the last of the 20 survivors who had been inside the buildings when they collapsed. Guzman, an assistant with the Port Authority of New York, had climbed from the 64th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center and was on the 13th floor of the South Tower when it fell. She was trapped for approximately 26 hours before her rescue.
On September 14, Trakr collapsed from chemical and smoke inhalation
, burns, and exhaustion, and was treated with intravenous fluids. After Trakr was released the next day, Symington, Hall, and Trakr returned home to Canada.
Officials from the Halifax police saw Symington on television, and suspended him with pay from the force for participating in rescue efforts in NY without permission and while on leave. He was later given the opportunity to return to work, but declined under the existing work conditions. His contract was terminated and he sued the police force over the incident. The lawsuit was still pending as of 2008. In 2005 Symington and Trakr were awarded an "Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award" for their efforts, and widely considered "heroes".
area, where Symington took up acting, Symington appeared, often under the name Peter James, in a number of television soap operas including Days of Our Lives
, General Hospital
, The L Word
, and The Young and the Restless
, as well as working as a stunt double
, fight coordinator
, and small part film actor.
In his later years, Trakr suffered from degenerative myelopathy, a neurological disease, and lost use of his hind legs. Some experts attributed the condition to inhaling smoke at the World Trade Center site
. Symington took Trakr to Pawspice, a California end-of-life organization that serves as the equivalent of a hospice
for pets. Pawspice outfitted Trakr with a cart so that he could power himself with his front legs. Trakr died in April, 2009, at age 16.
BioArts sent samples of Trakr's DNA to South Korean veterinarian Hwang Woo-Suk
and his laboratory, Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, which had performed the Missyplicity
project in 2002 as well as the first-ever dog cloning in 2005. The cloning, performed in Yongin, Korea
, involved inserting the DNA into five "surrogate" egg cells, each of which was implanted into a different female dog.
In June, 2009 five clone puppies, Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, and Deja Vu, were all delivered to Symington. At the time, BioArts was selling cloning services privately for $144,000 per puppy.
Some animal welfare groups, including the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, criticized or questioned the cloning effort over concerns that cloned animals may suffer health problems.
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
who along with his handler, Canadian police officer James Symington, discovered the last survivor of the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
in New York City in 2001. For his accomplishments, Trakr was named one of history’s most heroic animals by Time magazine. In 2008 Symington won an essay contest sponsored by BioArts International to find the world's most "cloneworthy dog", as a result of which Trakr was cloned, producing five puppies.
In The News
Trakr and his progeny have been profiled by media worldwide, including “CNN,” “CBS Early Show,” USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Dog World and many more. They were also featured as one of People magazine’s top stories of 2009.- http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2059858_2059863_2060232,00.html
- http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5093711n&tag=mncol;lst;2
- http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/12/22/giving.in.focus.trackr.legacy.cnn?iref=allsearch
- http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Just-Like-Dad.html
- http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7871826&page=1&page=1
- http://www.peoplepets.com/news/hero/9-11-hero-dog-trakr-now-has-five-clones/1
- http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20285756,00.html
- http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/2009/06/24/working-dog-named-most-cloneworthy.aspx
- http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pawprintpost/post/2009/09/remembering-the-rescue-dogs-at-the-world-trade-center-and-pentagon/1
- http://teamtrakr.org/news.shtml
Background
Symington was one of the founders of the canine unit for the Halifax Regional PoliceHalifax Regional Police
The Halifax Regional Police is one of a number of law enforcement agencies operating in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia; the other primaries being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Forces Military Police...
, on which served for 13 years. His police dog, Trakr, was initially trained in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and joined the Halifax Regional Police
Halifax Regional Police
The Halifax Regional Police is one of a number of law enforcement agencies operating in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia; the other primaries being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Forces Military Police...
in 1995 at age 14 months. Trakr worked for the department for six years, finding over $1 million in contraband, as well as finding missing people and helping in arresting hundreds of criminals. He was prematurely retired from the force in May, 2001 as retribution against Symington for preventing senior officials in his department from enacting a policy to euthanize Trakr and all retiring K9s.
After Trakr's retirement, Symington took a medical leave from the force, for an ongoing elbow injury as well as occupational stress
Occupational stress
Occupational Stress is stress involving work. Stress is defined in terms of its physical and physiological effects on a person, and can be a mental, physical or emotional strain. It can also be a tension or a situation or factor that can cause stress...
caused by a hostile work environment that was triggered when Symington prevented the implementation of the policy to euthanize all K9s on retirement.
9/11 Search and Rescue
Symington and his dog saw the search and rescueSearch and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations in New York City on television on September 11, 2001, and drove with their friend, Corporal Joe Hall, for 15 hours from Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia
Prospect Bay, Nova Scotia
Prospect Bay is a rural community on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on the Prospect Bay Road off , 22.9 kilometers from Halifax, Canada. There is no town centre...
to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to help out, arriving the morning of September 12. Trakr found a "live hit" (signs of life) under the rubble at approximately 6am or 7am. Firefighters dug in the spot, and found Genelle Guzman, the last of the 20 survivors who had been inside the buildings when they collapsed. Guzman, an assistant with the Port Authority of New York, had climbed from the 64th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center and was on the 13th floor of the South Tower when it fell. She was trapped for approximately 26 hours before her rescue.
On September 14, Trakr collapsed from chemical and smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires.Smoke inhalation injury refers to injury due to inhalation or exposure to hot gaseous products of combustion. This can cause serious respiratory complications....
, burns, and exhaustion, and was treated with intravenous fluids. After Trakr was released the next day, Symington, Hall, and Trakr returned home to Canada.
Officials from the Halifax police saw Symington on television, and suspended him with pay from the force for participating in rescue efforts in NY without permission and while on leave. He was later given the opportunity to return to work, but declined under the existing work conditions. His contract was terminated and he sued the police force over the incident. The lawsuit was still pending as of 2008. In 2005 Symington and Trakr were awarded an "Extraordinary Service to Humanity Award" for their efforts, and widely considered "heroes".
Later years
After leaving the force, Symington and Trakr moved to the Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area, where Symington took up acting, Symington appeared, often under the name Peter James, in a number of television soap operas including Days of Our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
, and The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, as well as working as a stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
, fight coordinator
Stunt coordinator
A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company to arrange the casting and performance of stunts for a film, television programme or a live audience...
, and small part film actor.
In his later years, Trakr suffered from degenerative myelopathy, a neurological disease, and lost use of his hind legs. Some experts attributed the condition to inhaling smoke at the World Trade Center site
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
. Symington took Trakr to Pawspice, a California end-of-life organization that serves as the equivalent of a hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
for pets. Pawspice outfitted Trakr with a cart so that he could power himself with his front legs. Trakr died in April, 2009, at age 16.
Cloning
Shortly before Trakr's death, Symington entered "Best Friends Again" (also called the Golden Clone Giveaway), an essay contest sponsored by BioArts International, to find the world's most "clone-worthy" dog. Symington's essay was chosen out of a field of 200 others, impressing the company CEO with the story of Trakr's police dog abilities and the World Trade Center rescue.BioArts sent samples of Trakr's DNA to South Korean veterinarian Hwang Woo-Suk
Hwang Woo-Suk
Hwang Woo-suk is a South Korean veterinarian and researcher. He was a professor of theriogenology and biotechnology at Seoul National University who became infamous for fabricating a series of experiments, which appeared in high-profile journals, in the field of stem cell research...
and his laboratory, Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, which had performed the Missyplicity
Missyplicity
The Missyplicity Project was a project devoted to cloning Joan Hawthorne and John Sperling's dog, a border collie and husky mix. Missy died on July 6, 2002 at the age of 15 years.-History:...
project in 2002 as well as the first-ever dog cloning in 2005. The cloning, performed in Yongin, Korea
Yongin
Yongin is a major city in the Seoul National Capital Area, located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population of nearly 1 million, the city has developed abrutly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the country. Yongin is home to Everland and...
, involved inserting the DNA into five "surrogate" egg cells, each of which was implanted into a different female dog.
In June, 2009 five clone puppies, Trustt, Solace, Valor, Prodigy, and Deja Vu, were all delivered to Symington. At the time, BioArts was selling cloning services privately for $144,000 per puppy.
Some animal welfare groups, including the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, criticized or questioned the cloning effort over concerns that cloned animals may suffer health problems.