Among the thousands of human volunteers who sifted through rubble in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks were 300 or so service dogs.
On Monday, the last of the search and rescue dogs died. Bretagne (pronounced “Brittany”) was just shy of her 17th birthday when her owners made the difficult decision to put her to sleep.
Bretagne’s owner, Denise Corliss (pictured above), told TODAY that she knew it was time when her trusted golden retriever refused to eat for three days, noting that Bretagne’s kidneys had recently started to fail. Corliss said she spent the last night cuddled against her beloved friend.
Corliss and Bretagne were members of Texas Task Force 1 who went to New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 to help search for survivors.
In addition to serving during 9/11, Bretagne and Corliss performed search and rescue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and many other disasters.
Last year, BarkPost put together a “Dog’s Best Day” in New York City to celebrate Bretagne’s 16th birthday and honor her service.
Watch the video below to check out some of the activities Bretagne enjoyed, including an overnight stay at a dog-friendly hotel and plenty of treats.