Last known living 9/11 rescue dog dies
Bretagne was given a salute as she was led into the hospital and when she was brought out, an American flag was draped over her body. Tears streaked down some faces.
She returned again a year ago when a special birthday party was held in the city to honor the rescue dog.
The golden retriever was 16.
Bretagne was then taken to see a personalized billboard in Times Square displaying a happy birthday message.
Bretagne was met at the hospital by representatives from Texas Task Force 1 and the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, as well as other agencies, who stood at attention and saluted the K-9 hero as she entered the hospital.
CNN reports Bretagne also assisted in search-and-rescues after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
NBC’s “Today” show reported that the dog had slowed down due to kidney failure and had stop eating. Soon they’d be sharing their personal stories with Corliss, describing the missing friends, loved ones and colleagues they were searching for. “But Bretagne is that one dog for me”.
But Monday, two months shy of her 17th birthday, declining health that included kidney failure prompted Corliss to make the hard choice to have her humanely euthanized. Ground Zero. I just couldn’t believe the magnitude.
9/11 was only the first of many national disasters that called Bretagne and Corliss into action.
Bretagne – pronounced Brittany – was deployed a week after the 2001 terrorist attacks when she was just 2 years old. Once, Bretagne ignored Corliss’s commands to sit and stay at Ground Zero, she told “Today”, instead trotting up to a somber firefighter sitting on the ground. They worked at the site for 10 days.
Her body will now be examined to study the health of the dogs who searched through rubble on 9/11. The puppy was pushy. “Strength and peace to her handler Denise Corliss”, the statement read.
“That kind of pushy behavior helped her be the persistent don’t-give-up-style of working dog that I needed later”, says Corliss.
Bretagne joined Texas Task Force 1 when she was a puppy.
While she was in NY past year, she was treated to a suite at 1 Hotel Central Park and took a taxi ride through Times Square.
Bretagne continued to be a star, even getting her own non-fiction book about senior dogs. Bretagne visited the site past year on the 14th anniversary of the attacks.