October 2, 2009, 5:43 pm

Dog From 9/11 Search-and-Rescue Unit Dies

By Jennifer Lee

Taz, a K-9 first-responder to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack, was 9 years old. via NYPD

A German shepherd named Taz, who was almost 2 years old when he was assigned from the city police's K-9 unit to do search and rescue at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack, has died.

Taz was the last of the dogs involved in the attacks to still serve on the force. He died of cardiac arrest last Sunday, the Police Department said.

Taz would have been 10 years old on Oct. 31 and had served in the Canine Emergency Service Unit, where his duties consisted of searching for evidence, suspects and missing persons. (The average age of the K-9 dogs is 5 years old, and their working careers generally last 6 to 10 years.)

Dogs have served the New York Police Department since 1908, when five dogs were promoted to be full-fledged members of the department, complete with badges. At the time, using dogs in crime work was relatively novel and the project was kept secret for months. At the time, a skeptical newspaper (that would be The New York Times) noted the possibility that the dog unit could be "laughed out of official existence."

But in the last 90 years, dogs have become an integral part of investigations, in everything from search and rescue to sniffing for evidence. During the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, an average of eight dogs were on duty for each of two 12-hour shifts every day, according to the Police Department. The dogs typically worked 30 minutes at a time, then were given breaks.

The department currently has around 40 dogs — mostly German shepherds and bloodhounds — that work with its Emergency Service Unit officers on rescue and recovery missions, with other police dogs are assigned to the subways. Search-and-rescue police dogs were deployed for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In a statement, Taz's handler, Officer Scott Ryan said, "His passing is not just a loss to me, my family and fellow K-9 officers, but to the city that Taz and his K-9 comrades so proudly and
courageously served."

Officer Ryan added, "I will ride with my partner Taz for the last time, as I head to Hartsdale Pet Cemetery to bring his ashes home."