Last 9/11 search dog dies surrounded by saluting first responders

The last known surviving search dog from the September 11 terror attacks, Bretagne the golden retriever, has died.

The brave pup was only two years old when she and her handler, Denis Corliss, were sent to the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001 to search for human remains.

They spent ten days searching the site as members of Texas Task Force 1.

Now, 14 years on, Bretagne has died after suffering from kidney failure, US TODAY reports.

She was euthanised on Monday at a veterinary clinic in Houston, according to a statement by Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

A large group of first responders attended the veterinary clinic, lining the footpath and saluting Bretagne as she walked into the building.

Bretagne’s body was draped with an American flag before she was carried from the clinic.

The Texas Task Force 1 took to Facebook to remember “the valiant effort and dedication to finding a victim trapped in a destroyed building that Bretagne showed us on a regular basis”.

The golden retriever retired from active duty when she was nine years old.