Every dog has its day, and for this sweet pooch, it was a long time coming.
Bretagne, a golden retriever, is one of the last living search and rescue dogs who worked at ground zero, and the heroic pup recently celebrated her tireless efforts and 16th birthday with a "Dog’s Best Day."
The royal treatment, provided by canine goodies subscription service BarkBox, took the pooch and her owner, Denise Corliss, to New York City for a weekend of sightseeing, gourmet treats and lots of love from the city the pair fearlessly served 14 years ago. Having only returned to New York once together since the 9/11 attacks, the trip let both Corliss and Bretagne see the city in a whole new light.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to come to New York and just enjoy it in the way I got to with this trip," Corliss says in the video by BarkPost, BarkBox’s online publication. “And certainly New York is a strong city.”
Bretagne was raised and trained by Corliss in Texas, where they became part of Texas Task Force 1 -- a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. Ground zero was Bretagne’s first assignment when she was just 2 years old, and the pup remained strong and focused, Corliss told Today.com in 2014, as the pair helped search for survivors. The dog’s presence was a welcome sight for responders, too.
“You’d see firefighters sitting there, unanimated, stone-faced, no emotion, and then they’d see a dog and break out into a smile,” Dr. Cindy Otto, a veterinarian who cared for 9/11 search dogs at ground zero, told Today.com. “Those dogs brought the power of hope. They removed the gloom for just an instant -- and that was huge because it was a pretty dismal place to be.”
The pup continued service for seven years after her first deployment, the New York Times reported, helping to recover survivors in other disasters including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2014, she was selected as one of eight finalists for the American Humane Association’s Hero Dog Awards.
More than a decade after her first mission, Bretagne continues to spread sunshine everywhere she goes. And for her "Dog’s Best Day," Bretagne covered some serious ground. The trip, which BarkBox set up with 1 Hotel Central Park, included a cheering welcome committee from hotel staff, a trip downtown in a vintage NYC taxicab and a surprise birthday party with piles of new toys and tasty goodies.
For all the sweetness this pup has given the world, it’s the least our fellow humans could do. Good girl, Bretagne! We love you.
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