On Tuesday, August 30, at 10:00 p.m. EST, National Geographic Channel premieres an ArgoFilms production for National Geographic: 9/11: Where Were You?
The film tells the stories of people who survived the tragedy of 9/11 and how the events changed their lives forever. Of special interest to those who champion rescue dogs, the film features a dog named Franklin — a yellow Lab who was placed for adoption by Labs4Rescue, an Alliance Participating Organization.
When filmmaker Allison Argo of ArgoFilms was nearing the completion of filming last year, she needed to shoot one more brief sequence in a Manhattan office, and she had only two days in which to complete the filming. The segment featured a gentleman named Omar, who had escaped from the 71st floor of One World Trade Center with his guide dog Salty, a yellow Lab.
Sadly, Salty had died since the earlier filming, and Allison needed a stand-in for a crucial final filming. So she contacted the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals to locate a stand-in for Salty. We contacted Labs4Rescue’s Ann Hilchey, who quickly identified an ideal candidate: Franklin (formerly known as Jake), pulled from Animal Care & Control of NYC’s Staten Island shelter in February 2010 and adopted to a Manhattan couple, Charles D’Autremont and Jane Sung.
Charles and Jane brought Franklin for his camera call, and Allison completed filming on time. She was thrilled with Franklin’s performance, and made a donation to Labs4Rescue in appreciation for Ann and Charles’ help.
In commenting on creating the film, Allison explains, “I tried to find stories that hadn’t been heard before. At first I was timid about asking survivors to share their stories, but everyone who participated in the film did so because they never want 9/11 to be forgotten. All of the people — and dogs — in the film are heroes!”
9/11: Where Were You? is scheduled to air on the National Geographic Channel:
Tuesday, August 30, 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 31, 1:00 a.m.
Friday, September 2, 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 3, 1:00 a.m.
Tuesday, September 6, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 11, 2:00 p.m.