One rescue dog still alive today
On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States of American was brutally attacked, and innocent Americans paid the price.
Every year since then, we celebrate their lives and the heroes who came to help — either as a professional or as a volunteer.
Heroes come in many different sizes and ages. And let’s not forget the K-9 kind. Many different dog breeds were used during the 9/11 attack. And these K-9s gave their best in the search and rescue, which later turned to recovery.
Most of the dogs worked up to 18 hours. It wasn’t uncommon for these same dogs to stay on site for seven, or even 14 days. Ten years later, it was reported that only 12 dogs out of more than 350 that had responded to downtown areas in New York after 9/11 were still alive, according to TopTenz.net.
Along with the 350 K-9’s who were at Ground Zero, there were 300 more that were used as therapy dogs during this time. Helping people to cope with the tragedy of what had happened.
Sambro, a retriever who lived on Staten Island was one of these therapy dogs after 9/11. And had passed away in 2013 at the age of 13 years. Which leaves only one dog alive today.
That special dog is Bretagne, pronounced as Brittney. She is a golden retriever who was one of the first responders to the Ground Zero area.
When she arrived, she was definitely more than excited about getting to work, unlike her handler/owner Denise Corliss, who told Toptenz.net that she felt the overwhelming magnitude of what had happened that day.
And now fourteen years later New York wanted to celebrate all that she had done during those horrific days.
Bretagne, who was 2 years old at the time, just celebrated her 16th birthday in style on Sept. 4.. with a little help from New York City.
Bringing Bretagne and her family back to the city she was given a weekend stay in a luxury hotel suite along with surprises which included, doggie toys, a dog friendly birthday cake and an entire weekend full of pampering.
The weekend ended with Bretagne receiving a “Cobblestone plaque” to honor her for her bravery and hard work efforts during that devastating time.
Bretagne was also given a “bone to the city,” which is equivalent to the “key to the city.” She and Corliss were also surprised with a large billboard with a photo of the two of them from New York. Thanking them for their dedication and hard work for the cause.
“Ground Zero” wasn’t Bretagne’s only heroic job. She was also involved during the after math of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Katrina and Rita in 2005.
Other K-9s have held jobs similar to Bretagne. They have helped with earthquakes, water rescues, DNA evidence, avalanches and terrorist attacks.
During their weekend getaway while walking around New York, Bretagne and Corliss were stopped several times by people on the streets who recognzezd her. Thanking them both for all they’d done.
Today, Bretagne has retired from disaster work, but still, she’s been using her talents to help first-graders who are learning to read aloud at a local elementary school, Corliss recently said on NBC’s Today Show.
Almost 3,000 innocent people lost their lives, not including the recent addition of 21 more names to the FDNY memorial wall of people who died from respiratory problems, according to a recent Associated Press report. As you remember them and the heroes who helped, remember that not all of these are on two feet. Some of those biggest unsung heroes during the aftermath were on four.
By Teresa Brummett
Staff Writer
Teresa Brummett can be reached at [email protected].