GO HOME, all the other cute shit on the internet: ain’t nothing going to top this story today.
Bretagne, the last surviving of some 300 9/11 search and rescue dogs, has been thrown a next-level adorable 16th birthday party by the city of New York, at the same time as the world marks the 14 year anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.
The Golden Retriever was only 2 when she was paired with Texas Task Force 1 member and now-Mum Denise Corliss for their first deployment, helping emergency services find and save World Trade Centre victims buried under rubble at Ground Zero.
The pair worked together on plenty more disasters sites after 9/11, including Hurricane Katrina, before Bretagne retired from active doggy duty in 2008; she now spends her days visiting primary schools to help kindergarten and special needs children learn to read.
Recognising this four-legged hero deserved a sweet 16 to end all others, American dog news site (?) BarkPost teamed up with 1 Hotel Central Park to fly Bretagne and Corliss to NYC for a special blowout in honour of her years of service and dedication.
They were met at the airport by a limo, before Bretagne was checked into the hotel’s luxe AF ‘doggy suite’.
Then it was off to Times Square to view a special billboard erected in her honour, followed by a frolic in the water at Hudson River Park.
And no party would be complete without a fuckton of gifts, of which there were plenty: Bretagne scored a sterling silver Tiffany & Co dog tag for her collar, as well as a mountain of other doggy treats (and cake).
She was pretty chuffed.
Watch the video of Bretagne’s ‘Best Day’ and try not to cry, we dare you:
To cap it all off, 1 Hotel Central Park also donated $1,000 to Texas Task Force 1 so they can keep training awesomesauce search and rescue dogs like Bretagne.
YAY FOR HUMANITY.
Images/video via BarkPost.
