There were plenty of heroes at the scene of the terrorist attack on 9/11 - and not all of them were human. A Golden Retriever named Bretagne was a first responder, charged with sniffing out survivors caught in the rubble of the World Trade Centre.
Now 16, she is the oldest member of the canine unit, and she was honoured with a birthday party worthy of her years of service, including a gourmet doggy burger and the "keys" to the Hudson River dog park.
Though she retired in 2008, in her day Bretagne went over and above the call of duty, even ignoring her handler once to comfort a distressed firefighter at Ground Zero.
“Bretagne and I have a really strong bond," said Bretagne's handler, Denise Corliss. "A lot of dog handlers say you get that one dog, and I’ve had several K9 partners, but Bretagne is that one dog for me,”
The host of the party, 1 Hotel Central Park, kindly donated $1,000 to Texas Task Force 1, the training unit for first responder dogs.
Check out the highlights of Bretagne's big day out, then go and cuddle your own furball. And ask yourself that popular bumper-sticker question: who rescued who?
RELATED: Remembering 9/11
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