Sept. 11 Gave Schmitty, the Yorkshire Terrier, a Mission

NEWPORT, RI -- Schmitty, the Weather Dog, became a familiar face in Newport when she, along with her human sidekick, Meteorologist Ron Trotta were the official weather team for the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel on Goat Island. Schmitty and Pudge, her baby sister Yorkie (and understudy) also performed a children's show Saturday mornings in the lobby for the hotel guests.

Their show's theme was all about giving back, trainer Elly McGuire said, a lesson learned growing up in Rhode Island and reiterated on Sept. 11, 2001, when al Qaeda attacked America.

"Sept. 11 was life changing," McGuire said in a telephone interview. "

Sixteen years ago, Schmitty was a five-pound ball of gold fluff trading wisecracks -- or woofs -- every day with the gang at the neighborhood firehouse in NYC. Back then, Schmitty had yet to appear in the New York Times society page or on The Ellen Show. The oversize pink sunglasses and all the glam came later. But fame didn't change her. She was always a hard worker and a trouper, and she never forgot her old friends from the fire station.

The firefighters at Ladder Co. 25 knew her routine and seldom missed an opportunity to greet their pint-sized pal on her way to a romp in New York City's Central Park. Although they teased McGuire about "getting a real dog," they loved their little buddy from the neighborhood.

Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, Schmitty's firefighter friends answered the call at the World Trade Center. Nine did not return.

McGuire saw their pictures mounted in the window the next time she and Schmitty walked past the fire station.

"It kind of opened our eyes a little about life and giving back," she said.

McGuire was raised to respect service. Her mother, 94, and her step-father, 90, are the oldest surviving World War II veteran married couple in Rhode Island. So when the firefighters put a picture of Schmitty with a U.S. flag in their window next to their nine heroes, they gave her an idea.

She decided to put Schmitty on greeting cards.

So, New Yorkie Greeting Cards -- with Schmitty -- was launched to benefit the Uniformed Firefighters'
Scholarship Fund.

Ultimately, Schmitty became a public figure and sold a lot of cards and other signature New Yorkie products to
help various charitable causes. One thing led to another. Schmitty and meteorologist Ron Trotta started doing weather "pawcasts" together.

A career was born. Schmitty became Schmitty the Weather Dog.

Today, Schmitty, Trotta and McGuire (now a children's book author) travel to elementary schools around the U.S. with their Schmitty The Weather Dog Weather/Science Assembly. Using literacy, music, and one very cute dog, McGuire says they hope to inspire students, especially little girls, to get excited about studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects.

After all, Schmitty is a girl, and she has a nose for the weather!.

"So far, we've visited more then 150 schools," she said.

Sept. 11 changed a lot of people's lives and mostly for the worse, but some good did come out of it,

"It changed the course of our lives," Elly said. And it all began with a bond between some brave New
York City firefighters and a tiny dog whose five pounds came mostly from her big heart.

"9-11 put us on the journey," she said.

To find out more about Schmitty The Weather Dog go to www.SchmittyTheWeatherDog.com."
Photo Caption: Schmitty and the firefighters at Ladder Co. 25, New York City

Courtesy Photo: Todd Maisel