MONROE — Bane, Monroe’s new favorite dog and a police K-9 with Monroe Police, has survived his surgery for cancer and is currently at home on the mend.

He may even be able to return to duty at some point. That good news is according to his handler, MPD K-9 officer Jeremy Larson, who is nursing Bane back to health after a surgery to remove cancer that also involved removal of a couple of the dog’s ribs.

“He’s been through a lot,” Larson said. “It’s kind of wait and see at the moment.”

Larson and Bane’s many supporters in the community will know more about the dog’s health after a biopsy and other tests are conducted on the removed tumor, he added.

Initially, Bane was diagnosed with a soft-tissue sarcoma on his paw. That prompted Larson to launch an effort to fund his treatment with the sale of T-shirts; and through direct donations to the department’s K-9 fund.

Things turned more serious a short time later when Bane was found to have an additional spot of bone cancer on his rib cage. The initial treatment and necessary scans for that tumor are estimated at about $10,000.

A portion of the cost was funded through public donations from concerned area residents and the balance of the cost was picked up by an anonymous benefactor who met Bane and Larson in the waiting room of one of the dog’s veterinarian appointments and wanted to help.

Larson and Bane, a Belgian Malinois, first met in October 2019. A short time later, they bonded during a lengthy training session operated by Tarheel Canine Training Inc. in Sanford, North Carolina.

Next came the cancer fight, and it has been a hard ordeal for both patient and handler.

“This dog is probably wondering why I keep doing this to him,” Larson posted, in a recent social media update on the cancer treatment. “…The daily bandage changes, the tests, and the surgeries. I hope he knows I’m just trying to help.”

To support Bane’s ongoing treatments, T-shirts can still be purchased at Heartland Graphics downtown and donations to the “K-9 Fund” also continue to be accepted at the Monroe Police Department. Larson is confident the people of Green County would help Bane with his cancer fight and he said they more than met the challenge.,

There is no reason the dog cannot return to work in weeks or months, provided his test results and prognosis remain good, according to Larson. Bane would just have to wear a protective vest over the area where his ribs were removed.

“Bane’s a warrior,” said Larson. “This dog has been through it all over the last month and a half and just keeps being his happy self…”