Final salutes for Bretagne, the last 9/11 rescue dog

All dogs go to heaven — but if ever a pup was especially deserving, it’s Bretagne, the last Ground Zero search-and-rescue dog, who died Monday at 16.

The golden retriever was just 2 when she was rushed to New York to help in the 9/11 recovery. And help she did, for 10 days, with her owner-handler, volunteer firefighter Denise Corliss.

“In remembering her first deployment at the World Trade Center, there are images of her going to where she was directed to search, the unknown, the chaotic environment,” said a search-and-rescue teammate. “But even then, she knew who needed the comfort of a dog, which firefighter needed to hold her close and stroke her fur.”

In later years, Bretagne responded to rescue missions after such disasters as Hurricane Katrina, before retiring at age 9.

But she kept on serving — as a goodwill ambassador for the local fire department and as an elementary school’s reading-assistance dog.

“Her calm demeanor and warm heart helped the young and old through their own difficult moments,” the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department in Harris County, Texas, said in a statement.

Yet there’s no greater testament to her service than her farewell ceremony — with firefighters and search-and-rescue workers lining the sidewalk, saluting.

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