Remember Bretagne? She was the last known living 9/11 rescue dog. We talked about her before, on her 16th birthday (#NeverForget: Last Living 9/11 Search and Rescue Dog Honored With Dream Day). Unfortunately, her time has come and she was laid to rest on Monday. She passed peacefully, with honor, and surrounded by those who cared for her.

Bretagne, believed to be the last surviving 9/11 Ground Zero search dog, was euthanized Monday. The golden retriever was 16. [T]he firefighters at the Cy-Fair Fire Department in Harris County, Texas, lined the path up the Fairfield Animal Hospital, as her owner, Denise Corliss, walked her in to be put to sleep.

Firefighters and rescue workers lined the sidewalk as her body, draped in an American flag, was carried out. Tears streaked down some faces.

Bretagne went above and beyond as a dog. Here are a few of the things she accomplished:

• Search and rescue at Ground Zero
• Therapy for firefighters and rescuers
• Search and rescue for Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and even more national disasters
• Worked with the local firehouse in the rescue department
• Helped children to learn how to read at various elementary schools

The legacy that Bretagne leaves behind is a testament to the fact that dog really is man's best friend. She truly earned her title as a hero and deserves to be honored as such... Unlike Harambe, the toddler-dragging gorilla. Remember how he got national news coverage just for being a gorilla? Yeah, not a hero (see Dear #JusticeForHarambe Morons: No, I Don't Care About the Dead Gorilla). While we're on the subject, Caitlyn Jenner can also be lumped into the not-hero category along with the dead gorilla. Not sorry. Sex changes do nothing to improve humanity (besides causing suicides, that is).

This dog did more for the human race than Bruce's fake boobs ever will.

That's why we salute Bretagne as well as her owner and handler Denise Corliss. We thank them for their service to our country. They made sacrifices and dedicated hours of grueling work in order to help Americans everywhere.

And you know what? Bretagne did it with a spring in her step. A wag in her tail. A smile in her eyes.

Bretagne, we salute you.

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