SACRAMENTO, Calif. --
Ana, an accomplished Sacramento Fire Department search dog, has died of cancer.
She died at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at Fire Station No. 56 -- where she was usually the only girl -- after spending her last day on the job, Capt. Jim Doucette said.
"She did her work without pay, without complaint and she enjoyed doing it," Doucette said.
Ana -- a golden retriever -- was born on July 4, 1995.
She was the first nationally certified Fire Department Disaster Search canine.
Anna was known for her rescue work in disaster situations such as Ground Zero at the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina and three building collapses in Sacramento.
Her job at Ground Zero was to sniff out a live human scent from beneath the rubble, aiding crews in finding survivors.
Ana, who was also the first dog certified by the Search Dog Foundation, had officially retired from the fire department in February.
Ana was featured in the media on several occasions, including appearances in the book "Dog Heroes of September 11th," and on National Geographic, "Animal Planet" and CNN.
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