Blind Since Birth, Michael Hingson and His Guide Dog Roselle Survive 9/11

Blind since birth, Michael Hingson relied on his guide dog Roselle to navigate the world—but nothing would test their bond like September 11, 2001. That morning, Hingson was at his 78th-floor office in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, preparing for a routine workday, when the building suddenly shuddered.

“I felt the building move about 20 feet,” Hingson recalled. A muffled boom had preceded the movement, and almost immediately, his colleague David Frank spotted flames and thick smoke billowing outside the office window. Debris rained down, creating an urgent and terrifying scene.

“We gotta get out of here right now!” Frank shouted, panicked. “You don’t understand, you can’t see it!” he added, acutely aware that Hingson was blind.

Meanwhile, Roselle, a calm yellow Labrador Retriever, emerged from her nap beneath Hingson’s desk. Her composed demeanor signaled to Hingson that there was a chance to evacuate methodically, rather than succumb to panic. It was the start of an extraordinary journey that would prove the remarkable trust and partnership between man and guide dog.

Knowledge and Calm: Key to Survival

Hingson had extensive knowledge of the building’s emergency protocols—vital for a blind individual navigating a high-rise during a crisis. After calling his wife to let her know he needed to evacuate, he instructed Frank and other coworkers to follow him.

As they entered the stairwell, a sharp smell reminded Hingson of jet fuel—an ominous sign that danger was intensifying. The group began the daunting descent of over 1,460 steps from the 78th floor. Along the way, they encountered burn victims and terrified coworkers. One woman struggled to breathe, convinced they would not survive.

Hingson and the group paused, gathering in a comforting hug to reassure her. “Roselle gave her kisses,” Hingson recalled. “Roselle was really good at that.” Their courage and calm helped others stay focused, even as firefighters passed them ascending the stairs to confront the fires above. Many offered quick pats to the reassuring dog as they went by—a rare moment of solace amid chaos.

Maintaining Hope Amid Panic

Close to the 50th floor, panic threatened to overwhelm the group again. Frank froze, convinced they were doomed. Hingson firmly told him, “Stop it, David. If Roselle and I can get down these stairs, so can you.” With that, he and Roselle became pillars of calm, encouraging the others to trust themselves and the process.

Finally, they reached the main lobby, only to be instructed to stay inside the building due to dangerous debris falling outside, including human remains. The group moved carefully through the central complex, eventually finding a safe exit to the streets.

Emerging Into Reality

Once outside, the survivors could fully comprehend the devastation. Frank took in the sight of both the North and South Towers, smoke and flames still consuming the skyline, and even captured a photo at Vesey Street and Broadway, just a block north of the World Trade Center.

Through it all, Michael Hingson and Roselle demonstrated the power of trust, training, and calm under unimaginable pressure. Their journey down 78 floors of a collapsing tower stands as one of the most remarkable stories of courage and companionship from that tragic day.

Then Hingson heard it—a low, thunderous rumble he would later describe as a mix between a “freight train and a waterfall.” It was the South Tower collapsing. Instantly, chaos erupted as people turned and ran in every direction. In the midst of the pandemonium, Hingson had no choice but to rely entirely on Roselle to guide him through the swirling dust, debris, and confusion.

“The dirt and debris was so thick, I could feel it going down my throat and into my lungs,” Hingson recalled, the memory still seared into his mind.

Suddenly, Roselle stopped. Guide dogs are trained to do precisely that when they sense danger. Hingson instinctively reached out and felt a handrail beneath his fingers. Roselle had guided him to the top of a flight of stairs leading into a subway station. Inside, the air was markedly cleaner, and Hingson could finally draw a steady breath.

Just ten minutes after Hingson and Roselle found refuge, the North Tower collapsed, sending a massive cloud of dust and debris billowing into the sky. “Oh my god, Mike. There’s no World Trade Center anymore,” Frank shouted, overwhelmed. “All I see are pillars of smoke hundreds of feet tall.”

In that moment, Hingson realized the full scale of what they had survived—and the life-saving instincts of a guide dog that had never let him down.

Michael Hingson’s Life After 9/11

The moment Hingson returned to his New Jersey home on that fateful day, he removed Roselle’s harness. Rather than collapsing in exhaustion or anxiety, she grabbed her favorite toy and wanted to play—a reminder that her work, while extraordinary, had its boundaries. For Roselle, the job was always serious, but now the day was done.

In the years that followed, the story of how Hingson and Roselle escaped the North Tower spread widely, capturing the attention of talk shows, radio programs, and audiences around the world. Yet, as time passes, the events of that day are increasingly reduced to footnotes in history. Many today may be unaware of the extraordinary courage and partnership between Michael Hingson and his guide dog.

In 2002, Roselle was honored by the American Kennel Club for “canine excellence” among service dogs, a testament to her skill and dedication. Two years later, she was diagnosed with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, a condition affecting blood platelets. Hingson believes that the toxic air she endured while helping him escape the Twin Towers contributed to her illness.

Despite the diagnosis, Roselle lived seven more years under Hingson’s devoted care. On June 26, 2011, she passed away peacefully, with Michael by her side—just as she had always been there for him.

Though Hingson has had many guide dogs throughout his life, Roselle holds a unique and irreplaceable place in his heart. He was responsible for knowing where to go; she was responsible for getting him there safely. On 9/11, he never let go of her harness, and she never wavered. Their bond remains a powerful testament to loyalty, trust, and courage in the face of unimaginable danger.