RIP Bretagne, The Last Known Surviving 9/11 Search And Rescue Dog
NYDN- The last surviving search dog that sniffed out Ground Zero for trapped survivors after the 9/11 terrorist attacks has died. Bretagne, a 16-year-old golden retriever, was euthanized Monday at a Texas veterinary hospital, fire officials said. Owner and volunteer firefighter Denise Corliss is “distraught” over Bretagne’s death, Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Padovan told the Daily News. “She had lived longer and accomplished more than anybody,” Padovan said.
Firefighters in the Houston suburb learned of Corliss’ saddening decision Sunday night and paid tribute to their canine friend outside the animal hospital, saluting Bretagne one last time as she struggled up the sidewalk with her handler. Bretagne’s body was draped in an American flag and taken to Texas A&M University, where veterinarians will perform a necropsy and study the effects of Ground Zero on her body. “She was one of a kind,” Padovan added. “She was always eager to do searchers, even after she ‘retired.’ ”
In her final days and weeks, Padovan said Bretagne spent most of her time at home completing a bucket list made by Corliss and her husband, Randy. That list included Corliss bringing Bretagne to Robert Road Elementary School where young children had gotten to know her as a storytime companion.
Bretagne’s career as a dogged search pup began at Ground Zero. As a 2-year-old rescue pooch, she joined about 300 search dogs in the first wave of first responders at the disaster site on behalf of Texas Task Force 1.
Sad to see another one of the heroes from that terrible day pass away, but it was great to read about Bretagne’s service and days since 9/11. When I first saw this story, I was surprised to see that Bretagne was from Texas, simply because I always associate 9/11 with the locations at where the planes crashed. But this story served as a reminder that it wasn’t just humans that gave their time and life to that tragic day, but animals and people from all around the country and the world. 9/11 was an unspeakably awful day, but the actions and sacrifices that followed were nothing short of remarkable.
Featured on Barstool
And here is the video of Bretagne heading into the vet for the last time while being given a hero’s salute. Waterworks City.