DFC Sean Hendrickson and K-9 Atlas
The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce the graduation and deployment of one new K-9 team. After an extensive 26-week training program, DFC Sean Hendrickson and his four-legged partner are ready to assist in the mission of protecting and serving the citizens of Calvert County.
Canines are a vital tool for law enforcement and are trained in the areas of patrol, narcotics, locating missing persons, building searches, apprehending criminals, evidence recovery, crowd control, obedience, and protecting their handlers.
Handlers are able to pick the name of their dogs, and DFC Hendrickson chose to name his dog “Atlas”, named after an NYPD ESU K-9. Atlas’s handler was someone very close to DFC Hendrickson. Atlas was the first police K-9 on the scene of the World Trade Center Attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001.
Congratulations on this great accomplishment and we wish you a safe and successful career!
The name “Atlas” On September 11th, 2001, NYPD ESU K-9 handler R. Schnelle and his K-9 Partner Atlas were on their day tour from the Bayside, Queens NYPD K-9 Office.
Atlas was born on August 7th, 1998. He was Schnelle’s partner, who was under two years old and fresh out of K-9 training on 09/11.
Schnelle was having coffee when his radio began to advise that a plane had struck one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Schnelle and Atlas rushed to the location. While responding they were able to see the second plane hit the second tower.
On arrival, Schnelle rolled the windows down and turned his A/C up in his Police Car and went to help. While running from his car, the first tower came down, forcing Schnelle to jump under a truck.
Schnelle ran back to the car to get Atlas, because at this point he knew he couldn’t leave him in the car after that. Together, they went to start helping people out. That’s when the second tower started to come down.
While the second tower was coming down, Schnelle and Atlas stopped to aid an injured news photographer and dragged him to the piers next to Battery Park.
They were quickly assigned to start searching various locations of the WTC property, referred to as “The Pile” for victims, specifically in the area of Building 7. Shortly after the decision to continue to search Building 7 ended, it collapsed.
Unlike humans, unfortunately, Atlas could not wear a mask while using his nose to search for victims, breathing air that was later known to be toxic, causing many cases of cancer and health issues that still affect families of First Responders and survivors to this day.
Atlas and Schnelle spent nine months searching for victims from September 11th, 2001, until May 30th, 2002.
Atlas was later found to have cancer, suspected from his over 3,000 hours spent on the pile. On Father’s Day, June 15, 2008, a tumor Atlas had burst, causing him to pass away.
Atlas’s handler was someone very close to DFC Hendrickson. Atlas was the first police K-9 on the scene of the World Trade Center Attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001. Therefore, in honor of them both, the new K-9 received the name Atlas.
All photos are courtesy of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and K-9 Handler Hendrickson. Below are photos of Schnelle and Atlas from 9/11/2001. We are thankful for all of our First Responders and wish you a safe successful career!
DFC Sean Hendrickson and K-9 Atlas
Calvert County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Atlas
