Bretagne, the Last Known Living 9/11 Search Dog Has Died at Age 16 and Laid to Rest

SOME HEROES HAVE 4 LEGS … REST IN PEACE SWEETIE.

Today is a sad day. Some posts are just harder to write than others, this is truly one of them …

Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search dog has passed away at the age of 16. A statement from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service says Golden Retriever Bretagne was put to sleep on Monday at a veterinary clinic in the Houston suburb of Cypress. Bretagne, (pronounced, “Brittany”), was just 2 years old when she and her handler, Denise Corliss, took part in the 9/11 search operation in New York. They spent 10 days at the scene searching rubble for human remains following the terror attack on September 11, 2001. Bretagne not only served at Ground Zero, but BarkPost explained she also helped with search and rescue in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Bretagne retired from active duty aged nine. And now we say goodbye to this precious and beautiful dog.

When it was time to say goodbye, she was given a hero’s farewell.

Firefighters and rescue workers lined the sidewalk as her body, draped in an American flag, was carried out. Tears streaked down some faces.

Bretagne, believed to be the last surviving 9/11 Ground Zero search dogs, was euthanized Monday.

The golden retriever was 16. Old age had slowed her down, and it was time to put her to sleep.

So, the firefighters at the Cy-Fair Fire Department in Harris County, Texas, lined the path up to the Fairfield Animal Hospital, as her owner, Denise Corliss, walked her in to be put to sleep.

Bretagne celebrates her 16th birthday in New York City

A doggy’s birthday for one of the brave who searched following 9/11 where Bretagne was given the “Kibble to the City”.

In September, BarkPost teamed up with 1 Hotels to give the beloved dog a day of celebration in New York City for her 16th birthday. The day was known as “Dog’s Best Day,” an on-going series from BarkPost that celebrates deserving dogs.

Bretagne was whisked throughout the city that day and given the hero treatment. It started with a limo at the airport and then a suite over looking Central Park at 1 Hotel.

Bretagne was then taken to see a personalized billboard in Times Square displaying a happy birthday message. She even received the doggie “Key to the City” presented by Hudson River Parks.

And as we say goodbye to a true American hero, Bretagne is walked, by her handler Denise Corliss, past a flank of members of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department and given a fireman’s funeral. Goodbye Bretagne, thank you for your service and your companionship. Rest in Peace.

If this does not bring a tear to your eye and a lump in your throat, you may not have a heart.