14 Search Dogs From Ground Zero Have Died Since 9/11

[CVX]

Eight Dogs Died From Cancer

POSTED: 7:31 am EDT August 23, 2004

NEW YORK -- Fourteen search and rescue dogs who dug through the rubble of the World Trade Center have since died.

Eight of the dogs died from cancer.

More at: http://www.wral.com/health/3672829/detail.html

[anastrophe]

well, i have to throw out the 'correlation != causation' thesis.

most search and rescue dogs are purebreds, or nearly so. purebreds lack 'hybrid vigor', and almost uniformly live shorter lives than mutts, and are far more prone to disease than mutts. as well, search and rescue dogs tend to already be mature dogs - after their years of training and field work, they are often well into their adult years when they are pressed into service for major disasters. 9/11 was three years ago - for an eight year old dog, that puts her into her old age - so, more likely to get cancer etc.

now, if *all* these dogs are getting the same *kind* of cancer, that's a different matter. but the article curiously lacks that rather important bit of info.

sounds like pseudo-science-reporting of the standard kind to me. "butter will kill you says a study!" "butter won't kill you says another study!"