ST. FRANCIS, Wis. — It was a ceremony fit for a hero. On Friday, retired St. Francis police K9 Bane, who spent nearly seven years protecting the community, was honored for his service with a life-size bronze statue of the German Shepherd who has begun to reach the final stages of his life.
"In my heart, I truly, unfortunately, believe that Bane is on his last journey, his last part of this disease. He made it much longer than I've ever anticipated," said Holly McManus, a detective with the St. Francis Police Department.
Last year Bane was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. It's an ALS-like disease that his handler Detective McManus says is terminal.
"It's so aggressive and it's so degenerative. I don't know how much longer he has with me but I couldn't have asked for any more time with him. I'm so blessed," said McManus.
People across the world began to follow K9 Bane's story on social media. They donated money to help make the dream of having a statue that would not only honor Bane, but other K9s that would come after him, a reality.
"The word that I keep using is how humble I am over this whole experience," said McManus.
Those very same people traveled near and far to see the unveiling of the statue, including Maryellen Lennon-Arms, who flew in Friday morning from Massachusettes after following Detective Mcmanus and Bane's journey four years ago.
"To meet them in person is amazing. As soon as they unveiled it I started to cry," said Lennon-Arms. "It's an officer. A lot of times I don't think people think of them as policemen and they are."
And it was a statue that Bane gave two paws up.
"Having that relationship with another soul that has your back all the time no matter what, isn't mad at you, and is happy to see you all the time. It's about that relationship and that's what I'm going to miss," said McManus.
And when his spirit is no longer here, the statue will ensure that Bane's legacy will live on forever.
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