Bretagne (dog)
Bretagne | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | June 6, 2016 (aged 16) |
| Occupation(s) | Search and rescue dog |
| Known for | Rescue operations at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks, hurricane disaster relief, reading companion for children |
Bretagne (August 25, 1999–June 6, 2016) was a Golden Retriever who served as a rescue dog, conducting survivor searches at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks. This operation represented the debut mission for both Bretagne and her handler, Denise Corliss, a volunteer firefighter with the Cy-Fair Fire Department. Corliss began training Bretagne in search and rescue techniques when the dog was only eight weeks old. Together, they spent ten days working at Ground Zero.
Bretagne was featured on the Today Show alongside NBC’s Tom Brokaw and later contributed to rescue operations following Hurricanes Rita, Katrina, and Ivan. After retiring at nine years old, she continued to serve the community by working as a reading companion for reserved first-grade students at a nearby elementary school, helping them build reading confidence.
Regarded as potentially the last surviving search dog from 9/11, Bretagne was euthanized in Texas at age 16 due to kidney failure in 2016. Her farewell was marked with respect by firefighters and rescue personnel who saluted her arrival at the animal hospital in Cypress, Texas, and again as she was carried out in a casket adorned with a Texas flag.
See also
- Jake (rescue dog), another 9/11 search dog
- List of individual dogs