TEXAS (FOX 44) – The last surviving Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Search & Rescue Canine from September 11 was laid to rest on June 6, 2016.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Bretagne (pronounced Brit-nee) was an invaluable partner to members of Texas Task Force 1. She was only two years old when she was deployed to the site of the World Trade Center in 2001. During her career, Bretagne responded to nearly a dozen other disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ivan.
Once fully trained, Bretagne along with her handler, Denise Corlisss, joined Bob Deeds on their first assignment – Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks. Texas Task Force 1 members, along with Bretagne and other canines, all worked this area for ten days searching for signs of life.
During the hours and hours of searching, Bretagne and other rescue dogs carefully made their way through the rubble of the collapsed Twin Towers crawling through mangled steel and concrete. During the long and grueling shifts, as Bretagne was surrounded by death and destruction, she still found time to comfort some of the first responders…