Kyrgyzstan Dog Names

Salty Lake is located on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, the second largest mountain lake in the world. Salty is also the name of a heroic dog who saved his person during the September 11^th attacks at the Twin Towers. Salty, a yellow Labrador, was born in 1998 and trained as a guide dog two years later by Caroline McCabe-Sandler of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, which is a training facility for seeing-eye-dogs. Called a “city dog” by McCabe-Sandler, Salty learned how to navigate around obstacles and stop at curbs during walks. He had no trouble with the subway, crowds, escalators and revolving doors, all of which were part of his training. Salty was matched with his owner, Omar Rivera, in 1999 after five months of intense training.  Rivera, who had gone blind 14 years prior due to glaucoma, worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as a senior systems designer in an office on the 71^st floor of Tower 1.

On September 11^th, Salty was sitting next to Rivera’s desk when they both heard a large boom and felt the building sway. Rivera stated that he smelled smoke and that his computer crashed to the ground. He grabbed Salty’s lead and the pup led him to the packed stairwell. Salty was able to calmly navigate around people and debris as they worked their way down the stairs. Apparently, Salty refused to leave Rivera’s side and required no help in guiding Rivera out. An hour and fifteen minutes later, Salty led Rivera into the lobby where they made their way toward the doors and ran. They were just in time; when they were only two or three blocks away they heard the tower collapse.

Salty, along with another guide dog named Roselle, was awarded the Dickin Medal on March 5, 2002 for “remaining loyally at the side of their blind owners, courageously leading them down more than 70 floors of the World Trade Center and to a place of safety following the terrorist attack on New York on 11 September 2001." The pups also were recognized by the British Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, and were given a ‘Partners in Courage’ award by the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Association. 

In 2008, Salty passed away at the age of 11.