9/11 rescue dog Bretagne inspects her birthday cake at a party in New York on September 11, 2015. (screen capture: Sky News)
The last known living search-and-rescue dog who worked at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001 was thrown a birthday party in her honor on Friday, as the US marked 14 years since the attacks.
Bretagne, now 16, was on her first job that day, and was assigned to help locate people thought to be trapped under the rubble, her handler Denise Corliss told Sky News.
“I looked down at Bretagne and she seemed stoked and ready to work,” Corliss said. “Towards the end of our mission it changed from a search mission to a recovery mission. I was just so grateful to have a canine partner that helped me get through it.”
The pair were dispatched from Texas to help in the rescue efforts, a journey they made again 14 years later to the day, when they received a hero’s welcome. The two were met at the airport in New York by a limousine, and put up in a hotel suite.
9/11 rescue dog Bretagne and handler Denise Corliss are welcomed at LaGuardia airport in New York on September 11, 2015. (screen capture: Sky News)
They were then taken to Times Square, which sported a special billboard to honor them. The billboard read “Happy Birthday” to Bretagne and thanked her and Denise for their service on 9/11.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
A billboard in Times Square, New York thanks 9/11 rescue dog Bretagne and her handler Denise Corliss for their service, on September 11, 2015. (screen capture: Sky News)
Bretagne was also awarded a key to the city and had a cobblestone dedicated to her at the 9/11 memorial plaza.
“She represents the working dogs and disaster dogs in particular. They are deserving for a day like today,” Corliss said.
9/11 rescue dog Bretagne and her handler Denise Corliss working in New York in the aftermath of the September 11, 2011 attacks. (screen capture: Sky News)
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
