On Sept. 14, 2001, veterinarian H. Marie Suthers-McCabe arrived in New York City. Disbelief, horror and shock over what had occurred only a few days before was still so profound as to be virtually palpable, with hundreds still missing from the attacks on the World Trade Center towers. Suthers-McCabe's mission was to take care of the dogs involved in search-and-rescue (SAR) operations.

As veterinary medical officer of the Veterinary Medical Assistance Team, a federal group that gives treatment to animals in any type of disaster, Suthers-McCabe was deployed to New York immediately after 9/11, as it was declared a federal case. Saying goodbye to her husband and 10-month-son at their home in Virginia, she then spent nearly two weeks at Ground Zero.

"It was surreal, as if you were in the site of a war," says Suthers-McCabe. "Big chunks of the World Trade Center were stuck into the side of the buildings, there was paper everywhere, and dust about 5 cm thick. On television you were just seeing a narrow view, but when you were there the disaster was everywhere -- as far as the eye could see, above you, around you and below you."

At the site, Suthers-McCabe and other veterinarians set up a vet hospital on the street near Ground Zero, where they checked up on the police dogs and SAR dogs. The vets operated both a day and a night shift, with each member working 12 hours straight. More than 300 dogs were there at a time, and most suffered from dehydration, cuts and burns. The dogs were also given baths and regularly had their eyes and ears flushed to ward off contamination from working among mountains of debris.

But helping in the rescue of victims was not all that the dogs did -- they also helped the workers at the site.

According to Suthers-McCabe, the dogs relieved the mental strain of police officers and fire fighters. She recalls one of the chiefs of the N.Y. Fire Department saying that the dogs were the only nice thing there.

"The dogs were not therapy dogs, but they were still acting like therapy for the people there because it was all so horrible," says Suthers-McCabe. "It was nice to see them make people smile."

As director of the Center for Animal-Human Relationships at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Suthers-McCabe specializes in the field of animal-assisted therapy. AAT is a type of treatment with goals for both physical and mental therapy. Animals and their handlers visit hospitals and nursing homes to assist in the treatment of patients and residents -- and of all animals, dogs are the most active in this field.

"It is said that dogs predominate in AAT because they have been domesticated the longest of all animals," says Suthers-McCabe. "When we think of domestication, we think of dogs who were first living with people 10,000 years ago . . . therefore they have more connection with people."

The 2002 data taken by the U.S.-based Pet Food Institute shows that 37 percent of American households have a pet dog -- amounting to some 60 million in total. Of these, those that become therapy animals undergo special training and tests in which both they and their handlers are exposed to a variety of situations such as interacting with strangers or finding themselves in unfamiliar territory in stressful circumstances.

Having stayed the course, as therapy animals the dogs can help to foster the motivation of people undergoing physical rehabilitation, for example, by such simple means as encouraging them to brush their fur or throw a ball for them to chase and bring back.

Additionally, the interaction between the animal and patient -- often an autistic or nonverbal child -- will encourage communication both with the animal itself and then hopefully with other people.

Unlike regular rehabilitation programs that usually involve only two people -- the therapist and patient -- AAT is based on teamwork between the animal, its handler, the patient and the therapist.

This is important for the animals, too, as long sessions can be very stressful for them and they need just as much attention as the patients.

"It is very critical for us to make sure that the AAT session is not putting too much stress on the animals," says Suthers-McCabe. "Because when an animal has stress, it reduces their immune system so that it is more likely to get sick."

Proper knowledge in this field is essential because these canine helpers are living animals, not cold machines. But as the popularity of AAT rises, fears have grown that some dogs may be being exploited in pursuit of profit.

"Some nursing homes see animals as a marketing tool," says Suthers-McCabe. "Because it is so popular now, people try to make money out of this. That is why veterinarians have to be aware and look out for the welfare of the animals."

Despite some skepticism that AAT is not real science, its benefits have been increasingly acknowledged in the last decade in the United States. This is partly in line with physicians' and patients' increasing faith in complementary and alternative medicine, which has encouraged belief in the natural healing powers of animals.

"Veterinary medicine and human medicine are moving closer together," says Suthers-McCabe.

"And I think that the term 'one medicine' will eventually come to be seen in many countries throughout the world."