Rescue dog Bretagne from the Cy-Fair Fire Department in Houston, Texas. Photo taken from KPRC 2 Houston鈥檚 Twitter page
It was a depressing Monday (Tuesday in Manila) for the men and women of the Cy-Fair Fire Department in Houston, Texas, as they bid farewell听 to the last surviving search-and-rescue dog that听worked at Ground Zero, after the dreaded 9/11 terrorist attacks in听2001.
According to听The Houston Chronicle, the Golden retriever named Bretagne (pronounced as 鈥滲rittany鈥�) would have turned 17 in August, but her handlers were forced to bring her to the vet鈥檚 office to be put down, due to her declining health.
The canine, which has been a beloved fixture at the firehouse, aided the Texas Task Force 1 in retrieving surviving victims in听the wake of 9/11鈥檚 wreckage.
The heroic mutt reportedly received a well deserved hero鈥檚 salute on her last walk into Fairfield Animal Hospital veterinary office in Cypress, Texas.
She was saluted once more by Texas Law enforcement on her听way out of the hospital, with her body draped in an American flag.
鈥淭his was a very small way for us to pay tribute to a dog who truly has been a hero,鈥� Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department Captain David Padovan was quoted saying in the report. 鈥淛ust because she鈥檚 a K-9 doesn鈥檛 make her any less part of our department than any other member.鈥�
One of her handlers, Denise Corliss, meanwhile, said she knew it was time to let go when Bretagne did not eat for three consecutive days.
鈥淪he was really anxious last night and she just wanted to be with me,鈥� Corliss shared with the Chronicle. 鈥漇o I laid down with her, right next to her. When she could feel me, she could settle down and go to sleep. I slept with her like that all night.鈥�
After her retirement age at 10, Bretagne reportedly helped other search dogs in training, while also serving as as a reading assistance dog at an elementary school.
In addition to her service at ground zero, Bretagne and Corliss were also deployed to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Rita.
The dog鈥檚 remains will be laid to rest in Houston after a necropsy at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Her handlers agreed to donate her body to an institution听that has听an ongoing study on 9/11 search dogs. Khristian Ibarrola
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