Last Known 9/11 Rescue Dog Dies Aged 16 - And She Got A Hero’s Send-Off
Bretagne the Golden Retriever was just two years old when she was sent to the site of the World Trade Center in New York in September 2001.
She and her handler, Denise Corliss, spent ten gruelling days searching for human remains in the rubble of the collapsed towers, brought down when terrorists flew passenger jets into them on September 11.
But this week, at the ripe old age of 16, Bretagne (pronounced Brittany) was given a hero’s send-off as she made her way to the vets in Houston, Texas, to be put down.
A hero’s send-off for Bretagne [AP]
Denise Corliss says goodbye [AP]
Bretagne and her handler Denise shortly after 9/11 [AP]
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as firefighters saluted Bretagne while Corliss led the retriever into the vet’s surgery.
Bretagne and Denise Corliss were part of the Texas Task Force 1 sent to the World Trade Centre site after the terror attacks on 9/11.
Around 100 dogs were used to try to find survivors and remains amid the debris; Bretagne is believed to have been the last of the heroic dogs to pass away.
Bretagne retired from active duty at age 9, and visited the 9/11 memorial last year with Corliss. She would have turned 17 in August.
All images: AP
