On and after September 11, 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed close to a hundred search dogs to look for survivors. Dumas wondered what had become of these animals. How many of them would still be alive today? Through FEMA, she was able to locate the surviving 15 dogs that took part in the rescue operations. She visited and portrayed them in their homes, where they all still live with their handlers across the U.S.