Bretagne, Last 9-11 search dog passes
I hate these stories. But, Bretagne, a Golden Retriever rescue dog who happened to be used at Ground Zero in New York City passed recently, the last of that group, according to Today.
Bretagne (pronounced “Brittany”), a whip-smart golden retriever with feathery fur and a sunny smile, lived an adventure-packed life until the very end. In recent weeks, though, she began experiencing kidney failure and slowing down. When Bretagne failed to do her favorite thing for three consecutive days — eat — her owner Denise Corliss realized it was time to say goodbye.
“She was really anxious last night and she just wanted to be with me,” Corliss told TODAY on Monday. “So I laid down with her, right next to her. When she could feel me, she could settle down and go to sleep. I slept with her like that all night.”
Thanks to Jon the Mechanic for the link.
Category: Real Soldiers
RIP, Bretange… you’ll be waiting for you owner on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.
RIP Good Dog.
RIP sweetheart…you were a good dog
Bretagne was from FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)Texas Task Force 1.
No doubt New York’s and man’s best friend!
No matter how many times you do it (and I’ve done it a bunch)that last trip to the vet is gut wrenching.
I’m guessing that Bretagne is being petted by the very souls she found buried in that rubble as we speak.
RIP
OC, I’ve become such a giant baby I don’t want another dog because I can’t take that last trip to the vet anymore…too many times I’ve outlived a great animal and too many times crying like a little girl while I bury them out in the cool wooded section of my yard where they like to run and chase the squirrels…
I sort of hate to admit it, but I’m getting glad we’re down to a couple of cats because I don’t much like the cats and once they’re done I don’t have to be responsible for anyone but me and the wife for a change…should be an interesting new component of my life.
VOV, I understand.
I keep saying “this is the last puppy”…
I have lost the best dog ever to hip dysplasia. It is rough.
Then my cats aged out, one by one, and I’m down to the last two. I had them all cremated so that I can drop those ashes where the wild geese fly.
RIP, Bretagne. See you around.
I said,”I am not getting another dog” five dogs ago. The universe keeps bringing them to me. I used to envy the dog handlers in Iraq until I found out the dogs do not necessarily come back with the handlers.
I was with my last cat when she was euthanized, and I swore then that would be the last one. I couldn’t do that again. Then one day, six years later, I found myself fantasizing about a little furry face with an attitude around my apartment. I adopted a shelter cat in February, and she’s the love of my life. Its hard to stop loving, I guess.
It is rough when you have to put a pet down.
A dog like that would be extra hard.
But the alternative is to not experience the joy they give us. I just try to make their lives good ones while I can, and cry when they die.
I’ve only had to do it twice and those were some of the hardest days I’ve ever had to go through
Damn, it got dusty in here all of a sudden.
RIP dog. All your comments bring tears to my eyes as I took my beloved Weimaraner for his last vet visit not too long ago.
Had a Golden go 17 1/2 yrs, not a hero, but sure did love her…
They are awesome dogs.
John, that’s gotta be damn near a record for a Golden. Seems like cancer gets so many of them and at a fairly young age.
My last Golden(Medic, a Master Hunter) almost made it to 14 yrs. Pancreatitis and liver disease took him.
It was a long time ago- our Doc was amazed she went so long- said it was probably because her favorite drink was a Tequila Sunrise.
My uncle’s golden lived to be 14 as well and the vet said he’d never seen one make it to that age.
My older dog, a mutt, is now 12. She had a close call last year with exactly the same illness as your dog – pancreatitis and a severe liver infection. She went a few days without eating and the vet told us she might be too far gone, but she managed to beat it. The arthritis in her front legs isn’t getting better with age, though, and I know she’s still fairly close to the end. I’ll be a mess for a while when we get to that point.
Goldens rock.
My ex-wife and I once had an AKC breeding pair, and for a time our female would drop a litter about every 18 months. I remember a day in a Vet’s office with 11 of the little buggers all getting their first puppy shot.
Pandemonium ruled…
Been there, done that – Maddie (my female golden) had three litters over a 2 year period with 10, 9 and 10 pups each.
Nothing like getting swamped by a bunch of Golden pups…
Across the rainbow bridge friend.
Anyone who says that dogs don’t have feelings and compassion never had a dog.
RIP Bretagne.
RIP Bretagne, you’ve earned your place in history and Valhalla.
RIP and well served. Even though it is sad to read about this dog’s death, at least she lived a long life and died because her body finally gave out rather than having her life cut short by some knucklehead.
Man. Now I can’t stop thinking about the dogs I’ve lost. I really, really hope there is a Rainbow Bridge cause I can’t wait to see them all again.
And that picture is wonderful. Makes me smile and breaks my heart all at the same time.
Stories like this always get to me. The world is a better place if you have a dog. Our German Shepherd turned 1 year old yesterday, and this story gave me pause. I’m thankful for all the ones I had before this one. I aspire to be the kind of person my dog believes me to be.
The Rainbow Bridge
inspired by a Norse legend
By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
© 1998 Steve and Diane Bodofsky. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.newrainbowbridge.com/NRB/rbpoem.htm