And then, there were two: Bretagne and Woody

COLLEGE STATION – In recent days, after an appearance on the Today Show with Tom Brokaw and being featured on NBC Nightly News, retired Texas Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) search canine Bretagne has been honored by news stories and inquiries from around the world.

Bretagne was believed to be the last remaining search canine who deployed, with her handler Denise Corliss, to the site of the World Trade Center in New York City after the events of 9/11. On Friday, we were excited to learn about the existence of another. Woody, a search canine with Ohio Task Force 1 (OH-TF1), along with handler Terry Trepanier, also served on that hallowed ground in the days after the tragedy.

Woody, like Bretagne, is a 15-year-old golden retriever currently enjoying retirement and residing with his handler in Ohio. Bretagne, who resides with her handler in Cypress, TX, is a finalist for the 2014 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards.

If you know of a FEMA-certified canine that served at Ground Zero, we would like to know.

Who is TX-TF1?
TX-TF1 is sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and has deployed over 90 times since 1997, including the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, Sept. 11th World Trade Center attack, and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. TX-TF1 can be activated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management or as one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 28 sanctioned urban search and rescue teams.

Members of TX-TF1 range from firefighters and medical personnel, to structural engineers, and come from all areas capable of reporting to College Station within a five-hour window. The Task Force consists of three separate units of approximately 80 members each. The teams rotate on a monthly standby, stand down or on call status.

Task Force Website: www.texastaskforce1.org/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/txtf1