While she had deployed with her owner/handler, Denise Corliss, to New York City during the heartless attacks, she returned this week for a happier event: her 16th birthday.
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It was their very first assignment together, however, that proved to be the most enduring: assisting in the Ground Zero recovery efforts in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
On August 21, the duo arrived in Manhattan and took a tour of their ritzy suite at 1 Hotel overlooking Central Park, one of Bretagne’s favorite spots to go for a stroll. They toured the Big Apple in a vintage taxi and made stops at Times Square, to see Bretagne’s birthday message on a large billboard, and to Hudson River Park, where Bretagne was awarded the “Bone to the Dog Park” (the dog equivalent to the “Key to the City”).
When the Twin Towers were destroyed 14 years ago, rescue dog Bretagne was rushed to the wreckage at Ground Zero to sniff around for any signs of human life.
On first glance, Bretagne looks like your average, run-of-the-mill, adorable golden retriever. Bretagne and Denise were also presented with a cobblestone at the 9/11 Museum and a $1,000 donation in Bretagne’s honor to Texas Task Force 1. The dog and her owner, Denise Corliss, have had an unbreakable bond ever since that mission, according to the Bark Post.
Bretagne retired from search work at the age of nine, and has since turned her attention to the classroom, helping children with special needs. In addition to search-and-rescue skills, Bretagne is an excellent therapy dog, Corliss said, and she still volunteers at elementary schools. “I was just so grateful to have a canine partner who helped me get through it. She represents the working dogs and they are all deserving for a day like today”.
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A special day to some, but a special dog to ALL.
