Bretagne, the last surviving rescue dog who worked at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks was laid to rest on Monday. Her handler, Denise Corliss adopted an 8-week-old Golden Retriever puppy in 1999 and after 25 and 30 hour training weeks they qualified as a dog/handler team for Texas Task Force 1 in 2000.
Their first deployment was the Twin Towers.
Bretagne (pronounced Brit-nee) was one of 300 rescue dogs who assisted firefighters and police officers at Ground Zero.
Dr. Cindy Otto, a veterinarian who worked with rescue dogs said, “those dogs brought the power of hope. They removed the gloom for just an instant — and that was huge because it was a pretty dismal place to be.”
After 9/11, Bretagne was deployed to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ivan and others. At age 9, she retired from search and rescue but continued to work as a reading assistance dog.
16-year-old Bretagne was given a hero’s salute as she and Corliss entered the animal hospital for the last time.
To read more about these wonderful rescue dogs click on the titles below to be directed to our library catalog:
Dog Heroes of September 11 A Tribute to America’s Search and Rescue Dogs 
Scent of the Missing: Love and Partnership With a Search and Rescue Dog
Angel Dogs: Diving Messengers Of Love
I LOVE this story!!! Thank you for your service Bretagne!
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A “true hero to all” …. she will never be forgotten.
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