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At Ground Zero in 2001, Bretagne was a specially trained 2-year-old golden retriever who had a sixth sense about who needed her most.
Thirteen years later, that sixth sense is as strong as ever.
The Texas-based canine, now 15, is believed to be the only surviving search dog who worked at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 terrorist attacks – and her mission to help others continues.
"She still has this attitude of putting her paw up and saying, 'Put me in, coach!' She absolutely loves it!" her owner, Denise Corliss, tells Today.com. (She also spoke to Tom Brokaw for a segment that aired on the Today show Thursday morning.)
In September 2001, Corliss and Bretagne (pronounced "Brittany") traveled from their home in Texas to New York City – at their own expense and without pay – to assist responders desperately searching for survivors.
On the ground for her very first assignment, Bretagne's mission was twofold: search for potential survivors and comfort the men and women on the scene.
Ultimately, Bretagne could only find human remains – although her ability to console workers was something to behold.
Bretagne resting with owner Denise Corliss near Ground Zero in Sept. 2001
Blake Wallis / Barcroft USA / Getty
Specifically, Corliss recalls a moment when Bretagne uncharacteristically left her side to seek out a sad-looking firefighter on the ground.
"I was surprised that she wasn't listening to me, but she really wasn't – it was like she was flipping me the paw," Corliss said. "She went right to that firefighter and laid down next to him and put her head on his lap."
This week, the pair returned to the World Trade Center site for the first time since their mission – which Corliss said brought back the emotion of their 13-year-old assignment.
"Seeing this kind of took my breath away a bit, similar to how the pile was the first time I saw it," Corliss said. "It's so calm and peaceful now, unlike the chaos of before."
(Technically, Bretagne is not the only dog who helped on 9/11 who is still alive. Today.com reports a 15-year-old English springer spaniel named Morgan assisted in Staten Island in the aftermath of the tragedy.)
In the years since 9/11, Corliss and Bretagne were on scene at other disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ivan.
At age 9, she retired from disaster work, but now uses her talents at a local elementary school, where she assists special-needs first graders who are learning to read aloud.
"I've seen Bretagne almost select a child," Shelley Swedlaw, a search dog handler and a onetime special education director who works with Bretagne at the school, told the site. "She's just really good about knowing who needs that kind, canine attention."
Until next time,
xo
Janet~
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First, if it’s a fresh stain you’re dealing with, you’ll need to blot up as much of the cat urine as possible.
Since we don’t want to waste a bunch of paper towels, gather up some
old cloth towels, rags or unwearable clothes. Using one or two pieces
at a time depending on thickness, lay them down on the wet spot and
stand on ‘em. Wear some shoes or sandals, you won’t want the urine
soaking through the rag and into your socks. Continue this with a fresh
rag each time until you see little or no wetness on the used towel. If
you’re worried about not being able to use your rags again, don't be,
just put them in the wash with some detergent and about ¼ cup apple
cider vinegar.
Saturate the stain with a water and vinegar solution.
You will want to perform this step regardless of whether you’re dealing
with an old or a new stain. Mix up just what you will need using three
parts warm water to one part white vinegar. I usually do 1 ½ cups warm
water to a ½ cup of vinegar. Poor the solution slowly over the stain
and allow it to sit and soak for 3-5 minutes. Not only is vinegar a
good natural solvent, it also kills bacteria.
Sprinkle the effected area with baking soda.
After you get the spot good and dry again using the method mentioned
in the first step, sprinkle the entire spot with baking soda. You don’t
want to over do it, but you don’t be too shy about it either. Think
glazed donut, not wedding cake.
Bring together some hydrogen peroxide and some dish detergent.
It’s time for another concoction. In a large measuring cup mix together
about ¾ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide (yes, it’s the same stuff you keep in
your bathroom for cleaning cuts, lightening hair, and gargling) with
about one teaspoon of dish detergent (preferably a brand like Seventh
Generation that is not petroleum based).
Drizzle the hydrogen peroxide/dish detergent mixture over the baking soda.
Again, don’t be too shy. You will want to saturate the spot pretty well
without going beyond it if possible. Remember, peroxide can sometimes
discolor or bleach fabrics which is the reason for first trying this in
an inconspicuous spot. After you get it good and wet, use the tips of
your fingers or a brush of some kind to really work that baking soda
down into the carpet. Baking soda is highly absorptive so it plays an
important part in the cat urine removal process.
Kick back and let it dry. Give the peroxide,
baking soda and dish detergent a few hours to dry and work it’s magic.
This is a great time to grab yourself a glass of wine or a nice cold
brew (assuming you are of legal drinking age). After all, you’ve earned
it. Once the carpet has dried thoroughly, get out the vacuum cleaner,
suck up the baking soda, stand back and admire your work. While it’s
only happened to me a couple times, if you run across a particularly
tough cat urine stain, it may require a second run through.
As you can see from the photos that Tsar was a fun loving kitty. He loved to pose for the camera and also loved his PeggySue catnip doll. Rest in peach sweet Tsar. I trust that the Lord is playing happily with you and that Joanna will see you again someday.
