Last 9/11 search dog has died
Golden retreiver Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search dog, has died at age 16 in a Houston suburb.
Bretagne was only 2 years old when she and her handler Denise Corliss deployed to Ground Zero after 9/11, as part of Texas Task Force 1. It was the pair's first deployment. They spent 10 days at the scene searching rubble for human remains. Before she retired from active duty at age nine she helped with search and rescue in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Bretagne
"We were there to try to find survivors," Corliss told BarkPost. "And when our task force arrived in Ground Zero, I just couldn't believe the magnitude of it. Then I looked down to her, and she seemed stoic and ready to work."
Bretagne
"Towards the end of our mission, it changed from a search mission to a recovery mission," Corliss recalled. "I was just so thankful to have a canine partner that helped me get through it."
Bretagne
BarkPost threw her a special birthday in New York City to thank her for her service when Bretagne turned 16.
Bretagne
First, the canine hero boarded a vintage yellow cab, courtesy of Film Cars, so that she could tour the city in style.
Bretagne
Next, Bretagne and her parents got out in Times Square, where there was a big surprise waiting for them.
Happy birthday, Bretagne!
One of Times Square's gigantic billboards suddenly lit up with a personalized birthday message for Bretagne.
Bretagne gets a hero's welcome
Then, the billboard transitioned to a hero's welcome for both Bretagne and her mom.
Bretagne
Back at the hotel, Bretagne was treated to a doggie birthday party for the ages.
Bretagne
She dined on gourmet room service hamburgers and tore through mountains of presents, always seeming to gravitate toward the packages that contained food ... still putting that expert nose of hers to good use.
Bretagne
Then, of course, there was the birthday cake, complete with blue frosting paw prints.
Bretagne
"She represents the working dogs and the disaster dogs, in particular," Bretagne's mom Denise Corliss told BarkPost. "You know, they are deserving for a day like today."
Bretagne
The New York City nonprofit, Friends of Hudson River Park, presented Bretagne with the canine equivalent of a key to the city: a silver Tiffany's bone with the inscription, "Thank you, Bretagne, from the dogs of Hudson River Park."
Bretagne
Then, the National September 11th Memorial and Museum dedicated one of the cobblestones located on the 9/11 Memorial's plaza to Bretagne and Denise.
Bretagne
Wherever she went, New Yorkers stopped in their tracks to thank the last living 9/11 search and rescue dog for her service.
Bretagne
"Bretagne and I have a really strong bond," Corliss told the BarkPost, tearing up a bit. "A lot of dog handlers say you get that one dog. And I've had several canine partners, but Bretagne is that one dog for me."
Bretagne
After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, Bretagne was one of 100 search and rescue dogs flown in to search for survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center. She and her handler, Denise Corliss, worked 12-hour shifts at Ground Zero for days. Fourteen years later, BarkPost felt a super-sized sweet 16 party was the least they could do to thank Bretagne for all she had done.
Bretagne
"I haven't had the opportunity to come to New York and just enjoy it, the way that I got to with this trip," Corliss told the BarkPost. "And certainly, New York is a strong city."
Bretagne
Now that Bretagne is 16, she and her mom have to work at maintaining her once effortless mobility. As such, Denise Corliss had a pool installed in her backyard, so Bretagne can swim every day.
Bretagne
And when Bretagne's not swimming or enjoying a much deserved retirement, she helps local students work on their reading skills at an elementary school in Texas. Once a canine hero, always a canine hero.
Bretagne
"When we deployed to some of the disasters, what I didn't anticipate is the role that they take on as a therapy dog. It provides an opportunity for people to have support from the dog and comfort from the dog in a real difficult environment," Corliss told BarkPost.
Bretagne
Last year, Bretagne was honored at the American Humane Association's 4th Annual "Hero Dog Awards" in Beverly Hills, California.
