K9 Bowie Fundraiser

11/7 (9pm) - A bit of good news for a change K9 fans. Bowie got to go home last night and is recovering there again. He is under strict orders get healthy asap but for now he as to do one of the hardest things a K9 can do...sit still and rest. These guys live to work and their "off" switch doesn't work sometimes.

Bowie's original surgery was 2 weeks ago to remove a cancerous mass on one of his ribs. Since then, he's had 2 trips to the emergency room, treatment for pneumonia, a CT scan, a surgery to repair his lung, several days in the ER ICU, and more. We are thrilled he is home again.

We get a discount from the UW Vet School but we are going to have some significant bills to pay Bowie's medical care. Capital K9's provides all of the funding for the Madison Police K9 Unit with the exception of the officers salaries. If you are able to assist us with Bowie's medical bills, we'd be grateful. You can donate here or our Venmo is @capitalk9smadison.

11/4 (8pm CST) - Bowie is out of surgery and stable again so we'll take that as a bit of good news. He has a lot of recovery to do but hopefully this is the worst of it and he'll be on his was to recovery. But for now, rest and recovery. For Bowie, that's easier said than done.

11/4 (4pm CST) - Sadly, we don't have very good news for this update. Last night, Bowie was rushed back to the ER with breathing troubles. His handler Eric, reported that the staff at UW Veterinary Care saved Bowie's life - it was very close. Bowie was stabilized but did not improve today so late this afternoon, Bowie was taken in for additional surgery to address some structural issues that were causing his breathing difficulties. There is no word on how long the surgery will take so that is all we know for now. Please keep Bowie, Eric and their family in your thoughts and prayers. We are sure they appreciate the support they are getting from people all over the country! Hopefully, we'll have some better news for you soon.

10/29 - Bowie was well enough to be allowed to go home yesterday and we are very excited about that news! He has some time off to recover of course and we are sure he wants to get back to work asap. We'll continue to provide updates to Bowie's progress. Thank you for all the well wishes and donations!

10/27 - As you may have heard, our senior patrol K9 Bowie had surgery to remove a mass from one of his ribs this week. It is Chondrosarcoma - a type of bone cancer. Fortunately, that type of cancer isn't usually associated with spreading easily. Bowie had some setbacks and has been in the hospital for the last several days. From his handler, Eric Disch: Bowie is stable with some good improvements. He is still on oxygen but if he continues to get better, he may get to go home on Monday. Great news!

If you have the ability to donate to a fund for Bowie's hospital bill, we would be most grateful. The UW Vet School gives us a discount, but we are still expecting a bill of five or six thousand dollars at least. You may donate on this website, via our Venmo @capitalk9smadison, or mail a check to us at PO Box 2367, Madison WI. 53701. Make a notation for 'Bowie' and we will put it to good use. Thank you.

About Us

Capital K9s Organization

In 2004, Madison Police Department Sgt. Chris Boyd (Ret.) worked on a joint drug enforcement task force with a drug-sniffing Dutch Shepherd, K9 Arno. When the task force ended, K9 Arno – who had years of work-life ahead – was out of a job. Sgt. Boyd lobbied MPD administration to create a K9 unit, but there was no money in the budget. In Anchorage Alaska, after a police officer was killed searching a warehouse for a suspect (a job that a police K9 does really well), local residents started a charity to provide K9s to their police force, which gave Sgt. Boyd the idea to ask for similar support from the Madison community.

In 2004, the Madison City Council passed a resolution permitting MPD to accept donations from Capital K9s to create and maintain a K9 unit. Over the years, studies have proven the incredible value of pairing high-drive K9s with a human police officers. To date, Capital K9s has funded 21 K9s for Madison police.

Capital K9 frequently asked questions

Capital K9s is a
501(c)(3) that relies exclusively on donations to maintain and expand the Madison Police Department K9 Unit.

Donations are used to purchase working dogs, specialized squad cars and equipment, ongoing training, and some veterinary care. Taxpayer funds are NOT used for these expenditures.

The City of Madison Police K9 and Equine Partners, Inc. (Capital K9s) is a non-profit 501(c)3, volunteer-run organization which exists to support the expansion and maintenance of the City of Madison Police Department K9 Unit and to educate the community about the value and effectiveness of using dogs in police work.

Donations

Meet the Team

The Madison Police Department K9 Unit currently consists of 8 dogs and handlers. Seven are patrol/drug detection/search (lost people) dogs and one is trained in explosives detection and search.