Texas

Last Known Living 9/11 Search Dog Dies in Texas at Age 16

Bretagne retired from active duty at age 9. At 15, she was taken by Corliss to the 9/11 memorial and participated in an interview with Tom Brokaw of NBC News

The last known living 9/11 search dog has died in a Houston suburb at age 16.

Bretagne, a golden retriever, was euthanized Monday at a veterinary clinic in the Houston suburb of Cypress, according to a statement from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

Bretagne was 2 years old when she and her handler, Denise Corliss, were sent to the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. They spent 10 days at the scene searching rubble for human remains as part of the Urban Search and Rescue Texas Task Force 1. 

About two-dozen first responders lined the sidewalk leading to the veterinarian's office Monday and saluted Bretagne as she walked by for the final time, The Houston Chronicle reported. An American flag was draped over her body as she was carried out of the facility.

Bretagne retired from active duty at age 9. At 15, she was taken by Corliss to the 9/11 memorial and participated in an interview with NBC News' Tom Brokaw. Corliss told NBC's "Today" that in recent weeks Bretagne began experiencing kidney failure and slowing down.

Bretagne was nominated for a Hero Dog Award from the American Humane Association in 2014. An online biography posted by the organization says Bretagne served as an ambassador for search and rescue dogs in retirement, often visiting elementary schools.

Bretagne and Corliss met with former President George H.W. Bush at his presidential library late last year.

A post on the Texas Task Force 1 Facebook page remembers "the valiant effort and dedication to finding a victim trapped in a destroyed building that Bretagne showed us on a regular basis."

Derechos de autor AP - Associated Press
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