May We Never Forget Bretagne, the Last Search and Rescue 9/11 Dog

In March 2016 Bretagne was still carrying her bag of treats in her mouth until Denise finally give in and opened it.

It was a very sad day for the men and women of the Cy-Fair Fire Department as they gave their final salute to Bretagne (pronounced "Brittany") who is the last known surviving 9/11 search and rescue dog. She would have turned 18 in August.

Sadly, she began experiencing kidney failure and was slowing down. When Bretagne failed to do her favorite thing for three consecutive days — eat — her owner Denise Corliss realized it was time to say goodbye.

"She was really anxious last night and she just wanted to be with me," Corliss told TODAY on Monday. "So I laid down with her, right next to her. When she could feel me, she could settle down and go to sleep. I slept with her like that all night." 

Even though Bretagnes's suffering ended at 5:00 p.m. last August she will forever live in the hearts of those who loved her best. 

I am heartbroken for her owner today, especially on this important day of remembrance of 9/11, and hope Denise finds comfort in the memories she shared with her.

Denise Corliss is pictured with Bretagne at Ground Zero in New York City in September 2001. It was their first deployment together.

Today the world will be remembering the tragedy and the aftermath of 9/11 so since this blog is about pets I thought I would honor a golden retriever named Bretagne who spent 10 days trying to find and save people trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center.

This post below was published in June 2016 in remembrance of this kind soul and I hope you will take a moment to thank her for her service as I'm sure she is watching from above!

Bretagne, the last surviving search and rescue dog from 9/11, is walked by her handler Denise Corliss, past a flank of members of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, as she was brought into the Fairfield Animal Hospital, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Cypress, to be euthanized.