K9 Bane may soon be honored with a bronze statue similar to South Milwaukee native Reggie "Da Crusher" Lisowski.
Mirroring how funds were raised for the statue of "The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous," a GoFundMe has been set up called the K9 Bane Hero Fund to, in part, fund the construction at the St. Francis Civic Center.
St. Francis Detective Holly McManus, who took ownership of K9 Bane for $1 after he retired in October 2020, wants to have the statue done next year — hopefully before degenerative myelopathy takes the life of St. Francis’ first K9.
A spinal condition, degenerative myelopathy affects a dog’s ability to stand and walk.
“It’s such a devastating disease,” McManus said.
Bane, who will be 11 in August, was diagnosed in early June. He is using a special assisted walker donated by Gunnar's Wheels to get around — most recently at a Milwaukee Milkmen game on June 26 where he appeared with McManus and Michelle Jacobi, a singer from the Eric Look Band who performed the national anthem.
“He was wheelin’ around the stadium,” McManus said. “Doing that stuff makes me forget he’s terminal.”
Bane also received a harness donation from Mac’s PET DEPOT Barkery in Bay View to help him with mobility.
K9 Bane has a large following of thousands on social media. Since his retirement, his page has only gotten more popular, McManus said.
She has been sharing Bane’s journey over the last month-plus with his many fans and followers.
RELATED: St. Francis' famous police dog Bane recently underwent surgery to remove an unidentified growth
Getting the diagnosis from a DNA test
In January, McManus took Bane to the vet because something didn’t seem right.
“He was floundering on his back legs, he had weakness and you could tell he was sore,” she said.
Initially the diagnosis was possible advancing arthritis but soon Bane was curling his toes and scraping his nails — called knuckling — an early sign of degenerative myelopathy. In early June, the results of a DNA test confirmed Bane had the two mutated chromosomes that indicate the disease.
Sadly, the news came at about the same time McManus lost another dog, Pickles, who was 16½.
“As I said goodbye, I wondered how I might deal with losing both my babies in a short amount of time,” she wrote on Facebook. “The pain has encouraged me to give K9 Bane every opportunity I can to provide him with good days ahead. Big-little sister Pickles would want it that way.”
BluePearl Pet Hospital, 9472 S 27th St., is helping Bane cope with the diagnosis through weekly acupuncture and hydrotherapy.
“You’re not really curing or preventing it; you’re mitigating the symptoms to keep him strong and prolong his life,” McManus said.
BluePearl gave Bane a discount due to his public service, and McManus was able to buy a package deal of 12 therapies for about $1,500.
Creating the K9 Bane Hero Fund
McManus started the K9 Bane Hero Fund to also help with Bane’s medical bills in addition to constructing the statue — something McManus has wanted to do for a while.
“I wish I would have done this back when he first retired,” McManus said. “The goal is to basically honor his legacy to our city as the first K9 and the future of the program and K9s in general,”
The “legacy statue,” as she calls it, will look like Bane standing on a granite or marble base. Bane’s name, along with K9 Riggs’ name and any future K9 units, would be added to the monument.
McManus said the sculpture will be a comfort, almost like having Bane with her every day at work even when he isn’t around anymore.
“I think it would be really cool to have a sculpture,” she said, adding that city officials have approved the idea.
McManus has investigated other communities with similar statues, including Brown County and Green Bay. She is working with a few sculptors to get some idea of the appearance. She hopes to have a plan in the next month or so and the statue up in spring 2023.
The goal for the K9 Bane Hero Fund on GoFundMe is $50,000, an estimate McManus said should cover the statue and medical bills for Bane.
“I’m still covering a lot of the stuff on my own dime because he is my dog,” she said.
McManus said any remainder would go in some way to the K9 program. Also, any profits from the sale of T-shirts through The Lettering Machine and K9 “stuffies” of Bane from Hero Industries will go toward the Hero Fund.
“It’s never going to be my money,” she said. “I’m blessed that I have the community to support Bane to keep my best friend with me as long as I can. I’m very thankful.”
She’s also thankful for her former partner and wants to give back to him.
“(Bane) saved my life, literally, in the past,” McManus said. “This is the only way I know how to repay him.”
How to help
K9 Bane Hero Fund on GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/k9-bane-hero-fund
K9 Bane clothing from The Lettering Machine: www.theletteringmachine.com/st_francis_pd/shop/home
K9 Bane "stuffies" from Hero Industries: hero-industries.com/product/st-francis-police-k9-bane/
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @ES_Hanley.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/south/news/st-francis/2022/06/30/k-9-bane-may-get-bronze-statue-honor-his-service-and-other-k-9-s/7775009001/
2022-06-30 15:31:06Z
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