Bretagne
Over her long career, Bretagne has made a significant contribution to the Search & Rescue community not only through her many deployments including 9/11 World Trade Center – 2001, Olympic Winter Games – 2001, and Hurricane Rita – 2005, but through her talents as an ambassador of Search and Rescue Dogs.
A teammate wrote this of Bretagne, “If you ask anybody whoever knew or trained with Bretagne, they would tell you ‘Oh she just loves me!’. That’s the kind of dog she is, affectionate to everybody, and fiercely devoted, never takes her eyes off her handler. She has always taken her job as a search dog seriously, but herself not so much. Always ready for a belly rub, or a treat. In remembering her first deployment at the World Trade Center, there are images of her going to where she was directed to search, the unknown, the chaotic environment.
But even then, she knew who needed the comfort of a dog, which firefighter needed to hold her close and stroke her fur”. Although Bretagne retired in 2008 from active Search & Rescue, her work is not done. She continues as an ambassador for Search & Rescue dogs as she visits elementary schools where she helps 1st graders learn to read. As she prances into the school, her tail wagging, her fur highlighted with silver, she is always finding joy in work, and not letting her age define her. Bretagne is a Hero Dog.
