Thread by @TRHLofficial

On a day so sad for so many, I try every year to look for the helpers— and devote a thread to the Rescue dogs of 9/11-

❤️

Walk with me and get to know the goodest pups of all.

BRETAGNE (Britney) ❤️

Bretagne was just two years old at the time of the 9/11 attacks. She and Denise Corliss, her owner and handler, worked at Ground Zero for 10 days as their mission went from rescue to recovery.

Bretagne was the last surviving 9/11 search and rescue dog until June 6, 2016, when she was laid to rest just before she turned 17 years old.

As Bretagne entered the animal hospital in Cypress, Texas, firefighters and search and rescue workers from the fire department lined the sidewalk and saluted. She was carried out later, her body draped in an American flag. A statue erected in her honor.

RILEY ❤️

Riley, a Golden Retriever that assisted in the 9/11 search and rescue efforts, was trained to find survivors. While, he did help recover several bodies of firefighters. But Riley worked desperately to find the living – that was his job.

Riley was not a trained cadaver dog, and became sad when he wasn’t finding people alive. But the ear scratches and hugs from the police officers and firefighters helped everyone, including Riley.

COBY & GUINNESS ❤️❤️

Coby and Guinness, both labrador retrievers, searched tirelessly through the rubble of the Ground Zero before returning home to retire at their handler’s home in SoCal.

Both of these dogs worked for an even larger and more crowded area than they were ever trained for, searching for 11 days in 12 hour shifts. Their reward was a nap or a chew toy. They were thrilled.

Together, they found the remains of dozens of people in the rubble.

APPOLLO ❤️

Appollo was the first dog to arrive and was nearly killed by flames and falling debris. However, he survived, having serendipitously been drenched after falling into a pool of water just before this incident. Appollo started working again as soon as His handler cleaned him up.

THUNDER❤️

Thunder and his handler, traveled from Washington to search through the rubble for victims. Olson and Thunder had searched regionally for victims and survivors of avalanches and possible drownings before coming to Ground Zero to help with the effort.

SAGE❤️

Sage became a FEMA search and rescue dog at only 18-months old. Her very first real mission was to search through the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks. Amid the rubble, Sage sniffed out the remains of the terrorist who had flown American Flight 77 into the building.

TRAKR❤️

Genelle Guzman-McMillan was making her way down the stairs in the South Tower when the building collapsed around her. After being trapped for 27 hours beneath the concrete and rubble, Trakr found her and alerted firefighters to her whereabouts. Genelle would be the last survivor found.

Before Trakr died in April 2009, his DNA was entered into a cloning contest by Symington and was later chosen for use. In June of that year, five cloned Trakrs were born.

JAKE❤️

Jake glowed up from a stray with a broken hip to a world-class rescue dog. While Jake assisted after many natural disasters, he was most noted for his work following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center where he worked tirelessly for 17 days.

Tuff and Tara both spent 8 days on site, working to recover survivors and remains.

Worf, was a gentle soul, he found the remains of two firefighters on his first day and was so affected he had to be immediately retired. His handler Mike Owens said, "There was so much death there, it was emotional for the dogs.” Worf lived out his retirement with his beloved handler.

There were many more rescue dogs who traveled far and wide with their handlers to help with the 9/11 rescue efforts whose names we will never know. These are just a handful of our K9 heroes.

If I had any advice to offer for today. it would be to live like it was 9/12/01

And always remember to “Look for the helpers.”

Take care of yourselves and each other.