Bretagne: The Last Surviving 9/11 Search-and-Rescue Dog
Bretagne’s first day on the job was Ground Zero. A young Golden Retriever from Texas worked the rubble of the World Trade Center for ten days in 2001, went on to a full career in disaster rescue, and outlived every other search dog from that site.
Who Bretagne was
Bretagne (pronounced “Brittany”) was a Golden Retriever born on August 25, 1999, and trained by her owner and handler Denise Corliss in Cypress, Texas. The pair had just finished their certification when the September 11 attacks happened. Ground Zero became their very first real deployment — a debut most seasoned teams would have found overwhelming.
Ten days at Ground Zero, and a career after
Corliss and Bretagne worked the World Trade Center site for ten days, searching the debris alongside roughly 300 other dogs. Bretagne’s work didn’t stop there: she went on to deploy after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ivan, retiring from active search work at age nine. In retirement she became a reading dog at a local elementary school, sitting with children as they practiced reading aloud — a gentle second act for a disaster-response dog.
The salute
By 2016 Bretagne was believed to be the last surviving search dog from the September 11 response. When kidney failure meant it was time, her family brought her to a Cypress, Texas, animal hospital — and firefighters and search-and-rescue workers lined the sidewalk and saluted as she went in. When she was carried out afterward in a casket draped with a Texas flag, the line of firefighters saluted again, black bands across their badges. It was the send-off of a first responder, because that is what she was.
Bretagne’s story is one of the most moving in our guide to the most famous hero dogs in history, and she features in the internet’s most famous dogs.
Frequently asked questions
What breed was Bretagne, the 9/11 dog?
Bretagne was a Golden Retriever, born in 1999 and trained in Cypress, Texas, by her handler Denise Corliss.
What did Bretagne do at Ground Zero?
Bretagne and her handler searched the World Trade Center site for ten days after the September 11 attacks — it was her first deployment. She later worked hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ivan.
When did Bretagne die?
Bretagne died in June 2016 at age 16, believed to be the last surviving 9/11 search dog. Firefighters saluted her as she entered the animal hospital for the last time.
