Bretagne (pronounced Brittany), a golden retriever, is the last surviving search and rescue dog who worked at Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
In 2000, Bretagne and her handler, Denise Corliss, became members of Texas Task Force 1. The dynamic duo would soon be scouring disaster sites and finding survivors buried under debris. Their first deployment site was to be where the World Trade Center had proudly stood. Three hundred other dogs and their handlers had received the same job.
Bretagne brought more than just her capable nose and her willingness to work. Bretagne brought a smile to others faces, despite the despair and agony surrounding them. Bretagne and other search and rescue dogs brought hope after a time of great sorrow.
Denise Corliss and Bretagne have also been deployed to several other disasters including, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and Hurricane Ivan. She is retired and living a purposeful life where she helps special needs children learn how to read out loud. Bretagne now has the chance of receiving the American Humane Association's Annual Hero Dog Award. The furry hero had a 16th birthday party thrown in her honor on the site of her first deployment 14 years later.
1.) What are several advantages of having search and rescue dogs during disaster relief?
2.) How do you remember 9/11? Have you ever thought about what happened in the days that followed 9/11?
3.) Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-six people died on 9/11. What was the impact of 9/11 on America and around the world?
My Opinion
Search and rescue dogs have a keener sense of smell and may be able to locate human beings under debris better than humans. Dogs are very loving creatures and can provide the love that we need during hard situations. I remember learning about 9/11 in school every year. I always thought it was horrifying when the towers went down and people were running away as a gray cloud engulfed them. I believe America bonded together and became stronger. This is a major part of our history. So many people died and this has changed rules and regulations on planes and with law enforcement. Many Americans have been impacted by 9/11. Almost 3,000 loved ones were lost and the World Trade Towers were destroyed. It showed everyone that we can all be vulnerable and life is never a guarantee.
Replies
Again, super job! Great choice of stories as well!
We also realized that america isnt invincible and that we can be attacked and it really brought the threat home to the states if you get what im saying.
Dogs have heightened senses compared to the average human which could lead to finding someone much faster. A dogs heightened senses could lead to the rescue of a injured person. Well we always do something at school and my mom takes a big interest in 9/11 so youll always find some documentary playing on 9/11. My mom does some work for the Department of Defense so after 9/11 she had to go to new york to meet with some government people and was interrogated and made sure she didnt leak any important info. she said the streets were dead like noone was out and no cars were on the street. She also said that at either 9:11 am or the time the first plane struck the days after everyone would honk there horns as kind of a memorium for them.
I think that rescue dogs do an amazing job and are very important to us and without them many people that are alive now wouldn't be without them. Their amazing smelling abilities can locate missing people so fast and precisely that without them catastrophes like 9/11 couldn't be handled as good as they are now.
9/11 was handled VERY well considering our predicament and the amount of fear we all had during that time. 9/11 was a terrible time, but it really improved safety rules and regulations in America, without them we would have major issues and possibly more catastrophes.
I have a lot of respect for anyone who risks their life to rescue people and I have a soft spot for dogs who help out with disasters like this. I wonder if the dog still remembers that day and trying to save all those people. Rescue dogs are great to have but you always risk that chance of losing them in case something would happen, but that happens with everyone you know who rescues people.
These dogs and their handlers deserve so much respect for what they do! I have also wondered the same thing. I think an autobiography would be a fantastic work of art from Bretagne. A risk of losing something near and dear to your heart. There is always that chance, but those that do brave that chance are heroes and one in a million. We shouldn't take them for granted.
I think that some advantages to having search and rescue dogs include the fact that they have a good sense of smell, they are fast, and they never give up! They are very hard workers and will do their job well!
I personally do not remember 9/11, but I know that it was a very devastating day for America. In the days that followed 9/11, I think that Americans were in a state of shock, and didn't really know how to react to the situation. After the initial shock was over, many Americans had to cope with the loss of loved ones.
I think that 9/11 impacted America in both positive and negative ways. Negatively, many died and many families lost loved ones. Positively, stricter airline regulations were put in place and that makes America a safer place.
Dogs in general are adorable and there are so many advantages! It was a very tragic day for America. Everyone was in a complete and total state of shock! No one expected anything like this to ever happen. So many people lost their lives! I believe that America would be so much more dangerous if we didn't have more airline restrictions in place. America became even more united.
Some advantages that I think rescue dogs have is that they have a very good sense of smell so they can detect bombs, drugs, or people that are in need of help or who are on the run, which I think is very useful. I was only about 9 months old when 9/11 occurred, so I personally don't remember much about it, but I have heard how my family remembers that day. My sister was in school at the time and all the students were gathered in the gym after the towers were attacked and my mom was at home with me watching the Twin Towers falling to the ground live on the news. I would have to imagine that everyone in America was frightened in the days after the attack, not sure what would happen next and wondering if this was the beginning of their country falling to pieces. I think the impact that 9/11 had was that it made us realize that America was more vulnerable to attack than what was thought. It also ignited America's involvement in Iraq and the Middle East, causing a war that is still going on today. 9/11 changed America in so many ways that we are still dealing with the effects of that day 14 years ago.
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