9/11 Hero Bretnegne Dog Passes Away At Age Sixteen, A Job Well Done, Missed Always, Remembered With

It is with deep sadness that we mark the passing of a sweet soul who spent her long life trying to save or comfort the humans that she worked for. Sixteen years she has worked for FEMA as a Search and Rescue canine.

At two years old, fresh out of training for her job at FEMA working Search and Rescue, Bregne and her handler Denise Corliss were dispatched to the worst disaster in American history~ 9/11. Among the awful ruins, Bregne and Denise searched for any life at all. All they found was death and distruction. Bregne dealt with coarse grit and debris in the air choking her throat and making her sensitive eyes hurt. Her paws stepped over broken re-bar, glass and brick. Paramedics flushed her eyes out for her, tender hands wiped and soothed her sore paws. Bretngne's tender soul empeithized with her hanlder Denise and the other searchers when despite everyone's efforts, no life could be found in the smoking wreckage of the twin towers.

Years later, when it was discovered that Bretnege was the last surviving search and rescue dog alive that had worked at the 9/11 disaster, New York city opened its heart and it's arms to celebrate her birthday. Bretnegne and Denise enjoyed a wonderful day of presentations and gifts. Bretnegne enjoyed every minute of her time in the spotlight~ every dog has it's day, and that one was hers!

On her sixteenth birthday, she returned to New York to celebrate with a city that had claimed her as their very own representation of the hero dogs from 9/11. Bretnegne wore the accolades with dignity and pride, a perfect representative for those canines that had passed before her, and had worked beside her during those dark days.

If you are very blessed as a recipient of a service dog, you may in your lifetime receive a gift that changes your entire life. That gift is called a 'forever dog'. Your forever dog takes possession of the most special part of your heart that can only belong to one, forever. Despite the fact that you might have loved other dogs before, there's just something different about a forever dog. There may be dogs before, and there will be successor dogs afterwards, but a forever dog stays within her person's heart and soul bonded irrevocably forever. The love and the bond that Denise and Bregne shared cannot be destroyed by mere death. The love of a forever dog stays within their person's heart forever. Time, distance and mere death cannot break this bond...a forever dog and their person are just that~ two souls bonded for eternity. I'm of course not sure, but I have a strong suspicion that Bregne and Denise share such a bond. The loss of Bregne to old age must be a devestation to her handler Denise Corliss. So many years, so

many memories they have had together!

How many people has Bregne found in the past sixteen years? The dead and the living. With each she comforted the surviving. Now it's time for those who go on to comfort one another with the knowledge of a job well done. Bregne, thank you for your fearless and faithful service to your person, community and nation. You represent the finest of our Service Dog Heroes and have led a wonderful long life giving everything~ your talent, strength, love and devotion. Thank you, bless you sweet child, thank you for your faithful years of service, your unrelenting heart and mind that helped a nation in it's dartkest days. Well done Bregne. Good Dog! Your Job is done, very good. Rest in sweet Peace.

God Bless The Service Dogs!