Dog Names Meaning Golden

Bretagne (sounds like Brittany) was a Golden Retriever search and rescue dog who worked with her handler, and owner Denise Corliss, on the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department Texas Task Force One and was one of the over 300 search and rescue dogs to be deployed to the September 11th attack at ground zero in New York. Although they were not able to find many survivors, these four-legged heroes were able to find many of the victims, so their loved ones would have closure.

Corliss got Bretagne in 1999 when she was just an eight-week-old puppy and began training with her to be a volunteer dog and handler team that supports federal emergency first responders at disaster sites. The work was difficult and time-consuming, with Corliss and Bretagne spending 25 to 30 hours a week training while Corliss also held down a full-time job as an electrical engineer. Bretagne took to the search and rescue work like a pro and enjoyed every minute of it. 

Bretagne and Corliss were accepted as full-fledged members of the Texas Task Force I in 2000, and their first job just happened to be the World Trade Center 9/11 attack site. As a team, they spent over two weeks doing 12-hour shifts at the World Trade Center Ground Zero site. But Bretagne did more than just search and rescue at the site. She also was able to help those who were there searching such as the firefighters, police, and other first responders. 

As a Golden Retriever, Bretagne was very sensitive to other people’s feelings and was able to comfort those who were sad or overwhelmed, and there were plenty of those who were at Ground Zero. She was able to be a shoulder to cry on, a head to pat, or just to sit next to someone and let them lean on her. Bretagne was great at being a comfort dog when she wasn’t searching. Many of the volunteers were able to relax for just an instant seeing her fluffy head and golden smile. 

However, Bretagne’s career was not over after 9/11. She also went to help with search and rescue at many disaster sites like Hurricane Ivan, Hurricane Rita, and Hurricane Katrina. She and Corliss also visited local schools and helped first-graders and children with special needs. Bretagne retired at age nine from the search and rescue team, but she still worked at the local schools with Corliss and the kids. She was the last surviving pooch of those who helped during the 9/11 tragedy and lived until a good old age of 17.