On September 11th, 2001, nearly 10,000 emergency response workers put their own safety at risk to help at Ground Zero. Of those 10,000 rescue workers over 300 were dogs. One of those dogs was named Bretagne (pronounced Brittany) and her courage that day will never be forgotten. Those who knew her have made sure she is remembered forever.

Bretagne was the last surviving 9/11 rescue dog.

Now that she has passed, all the faithful dogs that helped that day have gone but their efforts will not be forgotten.

Bretagne trained as a search and rescue dog

Bretagne was just 1-year old when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11th, 2001. She joined her owner and handler with the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department’s K9 Search & Rescue Team out of Texas and headed to Ground Zero to help.

Denise Corliss was a volunteer with the department. She began training Bretagne as a search and rescue dog when the little lady was only 8 weeks old. Bretagne was soon certified by FEMA and would work many big rescue missions throughout her career.

Rescue dog Bretagne and owner Denise Corliss, who searched for survivors at ground zero.
“Look for the helpers.” pic.twitter.com/2YbBPrVhI0

— Alex Gaskarth (@AlexGaskarth) September 11, 2018

Corliss never received any payment for her work training Bretagne as a search and rescue dog. She was working as an electrical engineer at the time and was intrigued by the idea of training dogs to be heroes.

“I was so excited about doing this, but I didn’t have the appreciation of how life-changing it would be,” Corliss said to Today. “It took 20 to 30 hours a week easily to stay on top of training. This is what I did when I wasn’t at work.”

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Bretagne acts heroically on 9/11

Bretagne and Corliss worked 12-hour shifts at Ground Zero. They spent 10 days there searching first for those who could be rescued and later for bodies that needed to be recovered. All the while, Bretagne offered emotional support to the rescue workers who needed it.

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Bretagne’s dedication inspired the 9/11 Memorial.

At the 9/11 memorial, a cobblestone is dedicated to the pair.

“In Honor of Bretagne and Denise Corliss, Texas Task Force One”

“DEDICATION: Thank you for helping us when our city needed it most.”

Bretagne’s career as a search and rescue dog didn’t stop at 9/11, however. Along with Corliss, she also worked rescue missions during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and Hurricane Ivan.

Corliss and Bretagne return to Ground Zero.

Corliss returned to the 9/11 memorial and it brought back a lot of emotions for her.

“Seeing this kind of took my breath away a bit, similar to how the pile was the first time I saw it,” Corliss, 49, said. “It’s so calm and peaceful now, unlike the chaos of before.

“After 9/11, everybody — all of us — felt such sadness. We all wanted to help. I just felt so honored that we were able to respond.”

Bretagne passes away.

Bretagne’s health began to deteriorate and Corliss was forced to make the difficult decision to put her down and end her suffering. She had done so much for others throughout her life and gone on a truly remarkable journey. She deserved a hero’s sendoff from this world and that’s exactly what she got.

Bretagne was taken to the animal hospital in Cyprus, Texas.

As she went in, search and rescue workers lined up along the sidewalk to salute her. When she was taken out from the hospital, her body was draped in the American flag like the true hero she was.

“Some may say that the most a dog could be is a pet, however, to the over 400 members of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, Bretagne was a civil servant, a hero and is family,” the fire department wrote in a statement. “We will remember her fondly, and continue serving the community with her as inspiration.”

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Source: American Kennell Club/911 Memorial