REVIEW: Thunder Dog

Thunder Dog

The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero

Jacketed Hardcover

By Michael Hingson and Susy Flory

A blind man and his guide dog show the power of trust and courage in the midst of devastating terror.

It was 12:30 a.m. on 9/11 and Roselle whimpered at Michael’s bedside. A thunderstorm was headed east, and she could sense the distant rumbles while her owners slept. As a trained guide dog, when she was “on the clock” nothing could faze her. But that morning, without her harness, she was free to be scared, and she nudged Michael’s hand with her wet nose as it draped over the bedside toward the floor. She needed him to wake up.

With a busy day of meetings and an important presentation ahead, Michael slumped out of bed, headed to his home office, and started chipping away at his daunting workload. Roselle, shivering, took her normal spot at his feet and rode out the storm while he typed. By all indications it was going to be a normal day. A busy day, but normal nonetheless. Until they went into the office.

In Thunder Dog, follow Michael and his guide dog, Roselle, as their lives are changed forever by two explosions and 1,463 stairs. When the first plane struck Tower One, an enormous boom, frightening sounds, and muffled voices swept through Michael’s office while shards of glass and burning scraps of paper fell outside the windows.

But in this harrowing story of trust and courage, discover how blindness and a bond between dog and man saved lives and brought hope during one of America’s darkest days.

This one went with me to several appointments and I never got a chance to start on it... a good thing I guess, because I wouldn't have been able to finish it at that time.  Finally, we went to deer camp the night before Samantha's Card Board Boat Race and I took it then...  And I read it that evening.  It was a truly inspiring story... and I am amazed at the abilities of the dog!  I mean, I know they are trained, by I think they have pretty good instincts about some things that kicks in as well... this story shows that!