Bretagne, believed to be the last living 9/11 rescue dog, is euthanized

A veteran of the 9/11 search efforts was given an emotional farewell by firefighters in Texas on Monday. She was 16.

Bretagne, a golden retriever believed to be the last living search-and-rescue dog from Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks was euthanized on Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported. 

The Chronicle said that “around 300 dogs took part in the search efforts” after the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.

“The canine and her owner Denise Corliss, of Cypress, were deployed at Ground Zero by the Texas Task Force 1,” the paper said. “After her retirement age 10 [sic], Bretagne aided other search dogs in training and volunteered at a reading program at a local elementary school.”

Bretagne received a send-off worthy of a hero.

“About two-dozen firefighters and members of the search-and-rescue dog community lined the sidewalk to the veterinarian’s office to honor and bid a tearful goodbye to the ailing dog as she walked by them for the last time,” the Chronicle reported. “An American flag was draped over Bretagne’s body as she was carried back out of the hospital.”