COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The last known living 9/11 search dog died Monday at age 16.
Golden retriever search dog Bretagne, pronounced Brittany, was euthanized at a veterinary clinic, Associated Press reported.
Bretagne and her handler, Denise Corliss were part of the Texas Task Force 1 sent to the World Trade Center site in the days following 9/11. They spent 10 days at the scene searching through rubble for human remains.
It is with heavy hearts we say goodbye to the last surviving 9/11 search dog, Bretagne. You will be missed. https://t.co/RxOoLuzgGW
— FEMA (@fema) June 7, 2016
More than 20 first responders lined the sidewalk of the veterinarian’s office to salute Bretagne on her final walk. An American flag was draped over her as she was carried out of the facility. Her body will be laid to rest in the Houston area.
Bretagne became part of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department’s Search and Rescue team in 2000 at the age of 2. She was also deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Bretagne retired from active duty at 9. She accompanied Corliss in an interview with NBC and was taken to the 9/11 memorial. Corliss revealed on NBC’s “Today Show” that in recent weeks Bretagne began to suffer from kidney failure and was slowing down.
In 2014 Bretagne was nominated for a Hero Dog Award from the American Humane Association.
Texas Task Force 1 wrote on its Facebook page, “The valiant effort and dedication to finding a victim trapped in a destroyed building that Bretagne showed us on a regular basis.”