Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search dog, died Monday in the Houston suburb of Cypress.
The Golden Retriever was euthanized at the Fairfield Animal Hospital. She was 16.
Bretagne, pronounced “Brittany,” became a full member of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department in 2000. She was a founding canine member of the K9 Search and Rescue Team and had a certification as a FEMA Disaster Search Dog, according to a statement from the fire department.
When she was 2, Bretagne and handler Denise Corliss responded as part of Texas Task Force 1 to the World Trade Center site after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. They spent 10 days at the scene searching for human remains in the rubble.
She also responded to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, among other disasters, and had been retired from active duty for about five years, according to the fire department.
After retiring, Bretagne helped train other search dogs and was a weekly visitor to Roberts Road Elementary School in Waller ISD where she would listen to first graders read with “a non-judgmental ear and soft paw,” the fire department said. She also visited students with special needs.
“Her calm demeanor and warm heart helped the young and old through their own difficult moments,” the fire department said.
To the more than 400 members of the department, “Bretagne was a civil servant, a hero and is family,” the department said.
At 15, Bretagne was taken by Corliss to the 9/11 memorial and participated in an interview with Tom Brokaw of NBC News.
For her 16th birthday, dog website BarkPost threw a celebration for Bretagne in New York complete with a gourmet cheeseburger, toys and a billboard display in Times Square that said “NYC Welcomes You And Your Mom”, according to Us Weekly.
Bretagne experienced kidney failure and began slowing down in recent weeks. When she stopped eating for three days, Corliss knew it was time to say goodbye, Today reported.
“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.”
Texas Task Force 1 remembered Bretagne on its Facebook page Monday.
“Please remember the valiant effort and dedication to finding a victim trapped in a destroyed building that Bretagne showed us on a regular basis. She will be missed,” the post reads. “Strength and peace to her handler Denise Corliss.”
As Corliss walked Bretagne into the vet Monday, fire department members flanked the two and saluted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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