A Fallen Hero

Hundreds mourn dog killed at WTC

Staff Writer Nicole Gaudiano Staff Writer, Bergen Record
A portrait of Port Authority K9 Sirius on display at Liberty State Park.

If every dog has his day, Wednesday belonged to Sirius. More than 100 police dogs, their handlers, and hundreds of others gathered beneath a clear blue sky in Liberty State Park in Jersey City to pay tribute to the fallen Port Authority police dog, the only canine to die in the attack on the World Trade Center. "I can only appreciate it from the bottom of my heart, all the good will here today,'' said his handler, Port Authority Police Officer David Lim. The remains of the 4-year-old yellow Labrador retriever were found on Jan. 22 beneath the debris of Tower Two, in the Port Authority's basement kennel. Lim had left Sirius there and went to help with the rescue effort but didn't make it back. He became trapped himself, in Tower One, and wasn't pulled out until more than five hours later. K-9 officers said they planned Wednesday's ceremony, which included a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps to be held after all 37 of the fallen Port Authority officers lost in the attack were memorialized. Handlers from as far as California, Chicago, and Virginia came to New Jersey for the ceremony. Following a bagpipe performance, the handlers walked their shepherds and Labradors in a procession, each stopping to salute the bomb-detection dog's remains. Asked what brought him from Bedford County, Va., Sheriff's Department Cpl. Chris Wimmer teared up. "It's a relationship that can't be described,'' he said, petting his Rottweiler, Mack. "I jumped at the chance to come. ''It was a solemn ceremony for all of Wednesday's attendees. Although scores of dogs gathered at the park, just across the river from the World Trade Center site, only a few barks were heard as they were led past Sirius' wooden urn. "They feel the emotions we're going through,'' said K-9 Officer Henry Sondej of the Bergen County Sheriff's Department. "This is a time we're trying to put a terrible period behind us. They know what's going on.'' The ceremony included the unveiling of a portrait of Sirius, backed by the image of the towers and a dark sky with stars. Artist Debbie Miller Stonebraker said it wasn't until she was painting the fine details of the portrait that the project took an emotional toll on her. A patriotic song unexpectedly came on her compact disc player as Sirius' newly painted image looked back at her from the canvas. She had to put down her brush. "I cried for an hour,'' said Stonebraker, of Foley, MO. "The enormity of it just hit me in the face.'' Lim finally broke down during a special presentation by the FBI, whose agents recovered Sirius' bowl from Lim's crushed car. They had it engraved:"I gave my life so that you may save others.''
"This is something I'll cherish,'' Lim said. "To many, it would be just another water bowl. It's one I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I still picture him drinking out of it.'' Sirius began his tenure with the authority on July 4, 2000, inspecting commercial vehicles entering the towers and clearing the way for VIPs. Lim could think of another big day for Sirius, the day President Bill Clinton stopped to pet him during a campaign swing through New York. "The date on the picture was Sept. 11, 2000,'' Lim said. "To me, it was unbelievable.'' K-9 Officer Richard Colon, whose dog, Jagger, trained with Sirius, recalled his two sides. "He was so easygoing,'' Colon said of Sirius. "I would tease [Lim], 'I'm gonna kick your dog to see if he's alive.' But once he was working, he was alive.'' Lim's wife, Diane, said, "He thought he was a lap dog, a 90 pound lap dog. 'Scratch my head. Rub my ears.''' Yet he never complained, David Lim said, making Sirius the best partner he ever had. Lim said he plans to lobby for a K-9 memorial alongside the police officer's memorial in Washington, D.C. He hopes Wednesday's ceremony will call attention to the work dogs do for police. "Maybe they'll realize the dogs are out there doing a job machines can't do,'' he said. "They do it for love.''