Heartbreaking moment the final 9/11 service dog is given a guard of honour before being put to sleep
Hero golden retriever, 16, who was suffering from kidney failure, was one of the first responders at Ground Zero
A HERO search dog who sniffed through the toxic rubble at Ground Zero on September 11 was given a guard of honour before being put to sleep.
Bretagne, 16, who was the last surviving rescue dog from the disaster, died at a Texas veterinary hospital on Monday with her loving owner and handler Denise Corliss by her side.
The golden retriever was greeted at the Fairfield Animal Hospital by a row of firefighters, from Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, who stood to attention while the sick dog bravely shuffled into the building.
Owner Denise told that the courageous animal had been suffering from kidney failure which rendered her unable to eat.
She said: “She was really anxious last night and she just wanted to be with me.
“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.”
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The fearless hound, whose dead body was draped in the American flag, also helped rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Rita.
Veterinary experts at Texas A&M University will now study her body to see what effects Ground Zero – which was the site where both World Trade Centre towers came crashing down in New York – had on the pooch’s internal organs.
The heroic mutt was one of 300 first responder search dogs which helped look for survivors following the terrorist attack which claimed the lives of nearly 3000 people.
Denise bought Bretagne (pronounced Britney), in 1999 when she was a puppy and soon signed her up to federal search agency Texas Task Force 1.
Ground Zero was the two-year-old dog’s first deployment – but despite working 12 hour days searching through the concrete and twisted metal, the retriever’s relentless energy and positive attitude helped Denis cope with the harrowing situation.
Cindy Otto, a vet at Penn Vet Working Dog Center, who cared for more than 100 dogs who worked at Ground Zero said Bretagne brought joy to the 9/11 emergency workers who were dealing with such an unimaginable tragedy.
She said: “You'd see firefighters sitting there, unanimated, stone-faced, no emotion, and then they'd see a dog and break out into a smile.
“Those dogs brought the power of hope. They removed the gloom for just an instant.
“Bretagne's partnership with Denise Corliss was magical.”
As her health started to fail, Denis and her husband drew up a bucket list for the gusty dog which included a trip to Robert Road Elementary School where the kind animal had worked with autistic kids.
Bretagne returned to New York last year to celebrate her 16th birthday last year where she was given a hero’s welcome at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
She was then taken to a VIP suite in 1 Hotel Central Park where she given doggy treats and her own birthday cake.
Penn Vet Working Dog Center, who treat and train hero dogs, have recently named a puppy Bretange 2 in loving memory of the valiant golden retriever.
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